Green Workforce Skills Shortage Outpaces Demand As Sustainability Goals Accelerate

The rapid growth in demand for green workforce skills is significantly outpacing the supply of qualified workers as companies and countries worldwide ramp up efforts to implement their climate and sustainability commitments. New research from LinkedIn’s 2024 Global Climate Talent Stocktake highlights that there are now more than twice as many jobs requiring green skills than there are workers available to fill those roles. 

According to the study, which analysed anonymised data from LinkedIn’s one billion members and job postings, demand for green skills has grown by an annual average of 5.9 percent between 2021 and 2024, compared to a slower yearly increase in green talent of 3.2 percent over the same period. The research utilised a comprehensive list of nearly 1,200 identified green skills and related occupations. 

The report, which includes insights from LinkedIn Staff Data Scientist Akash Kaura, found that the green skills gap has been widening, with a sharp acceleration over the past year. Between 2023 and 2024, demand for green talent surged by 11.6 percent, while supply increased by only 5.6 percent. 

The study also observed a growing share of jobs requiring green skills, with 7.7 percent of job postings on LinkedIn in 2024 falling into this category, up from 6.8 percent in 2021. 

The demand-supply imbalance is creating notable benefits for workers with green skills. LinkedIn found that the hiring rate for green talent is nearly 55 percent higher than the overall hiring rate, with some regions experiencing even sharper differences. In the United States, the green hiring rate is outpacing the general rate by more than 80 percent, while in the UK, it is 70 percent higher. 

However, while green-skilled workers are reaping benefits from this trend, the widening skills gap presents significant challenges for businesses and governments aiming to achieve sustainability and climate goals. LinkedIn’s research projects that, at current trends, the gap between green talent demand and supply could reach 18.7 percent by 2030 and could grow to over 100 percent by 2050 if action is not taken to upskill the workforce. 

The findings underscore the urgency of addressing the green skills shortage to ensure global efforts to meet climate targets remain on track.