Competition for so-called green talent in the industrial sector has taken off. 

About three in four employers globally, 74%, are either currently recruiting for green jobs or planning to do so, according to a recent ManpowerGroup report. 

Green jobs help companies produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources. They can also be positions in which workers make companies’ production processes more environmentally friendly or enable them to use fewer natural resources, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Green talent” refers to people whose skills boost the sustainability of their companies.

Competition for green talent is expected to escalate. A majority of managers in energy and utilities, 81%, and transport, logistics and automotive, 73%, are actively seeking green talent.

Government investment is accelerating demand, according to the report. For example, the 2022 US Inflation Reduction Act allocated $370 billion in incentives for green initiatives, while the European Green Deal contributed €225 billion ($245 billion).  

Globally, government investment soared to a record $1.1 trillion in 2022, matching the total investment in fossil fuels, the research showed. 

Yet even as economic growth is slowing, a significant majority of industrial employers globally, 77%, continue to struggle to find the skilled talent they require. The aging population and a lack of diverse workers are exacerbating this challenge. In the aerospace and defense industry, for instance, a third of the workforce is over 55 and is expected to retire in the coming years. Furthermore, women remain underrepresented in the sector, making up only 30% of the manufacturing workforce, despite comprising 47% of the nonfarm workforce.