12 December 2022

• As the climate crisis remains high on the news agenda, over half (51%) of UK professionals say they would consider reskilling into a sustainability role according to new research by Hays
• Hays has seen demand jump for sustainability skills over the past 12 months
• Nearly a quarter (23%) of employers said the number of sustainability specialists employed within their organisation has increased over the last 12 months. For large employers, this jumped to a third (33%)
• Overall, a third of employers (33%) said they expect the need for sustainability specialists and green skills to increase over the next 12 months

As the climate crisis remains high on the news agenda, positively, over half (51%) of UK professionals say they would consider reskilling into a sustainability role according to new research by Hays.

The research, based on a survey of over 13,000 professionals and employers found that of the professionals who would consider changing careers for greener prospects, over half (52%) said they would be interested in working in green industries i.e., renewables, electric vehicles, green retrofit, whilst 37% said they would be interested in helping organisations respond to the net zero agenda.

The findings come as Hays has seen increased demand from employers to hire for sustainability roles over the past 12 months. According to the survey data, nearly a quarter (23%) of organisations say the number of sustainability specialists they employ has increased over the last 12 months. For large employers, this jumped to a third (33%).

Overall, a third of employers (33%) say they expect the need for sustainability specialists and green skills to increase over the next 12 months.

The data follows PWC’s annual green jobs barometer, published in December which found that green jobs are growing around four times the rate of the overall UK employment market.

Hiring for green skills firmly on the agenda

For employers who are hiring for sustainability and environmental roles, the top specialist skill needed is Net Zero/decarbonisation (46%), followed by climate change (39%), energy management (35%) and environmental social governance (33%).

As cited by employers, the top preferred industries to hire a professional from into a sustainability role were planning and development (51%), followed by engineering (48%), construction management (30%) and procurement and supply chain (28%).

Positively, of the employers who said they are hiring staff for sustainability roles, 81% said they would consider hiring someone who doesn’t possess all the right skills into an environmental or sustainability role with the intention of upskilling them.

Simon Winfield, Managing Director of Hays UK & Ireland, comments: “It’s really positive to see the appetite from professionals to reskill into the sustainability sector, especially when the need for knowledge and skills in this area is increasing week by week. We’ve already seen a big increase in the demand for skilled sustainability professionals as organisations take note that they can’t ignore the impact their business may be having on the planet.

Looking at specific skilled areas, we’re seeing continued demand within environmental roles, such as technical specialists, sustainability managers and environmental permitting and control. Experts within building sustainability roles are also highly sought after, such as energy managers.

For employers wanting to hire these skills into next year, it’s critical they start to think about how they will build their talent pipeline now as they will face tough competition for sustainability skills.”

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About the research: The research is based on a survey carried out between August 22nd – September 26th 2022 and received 13,421 responses from professionals and employers across the UK

Contact

Helen Flannery
Senior PR Manager
helen.flannery@hays.com
T: 020 3040 0282
M: 07548 778306

About Hays

Hays plc (the "Group") is the world’s leading specialist in workforce solutions and recruitment, such as RPO and MSP. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK, Germany and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2022, the Group employed c.13,000 staff operating from 253 offices in 32 countries. For the year ended 30 June 2022:

• the Group reported net fees of £1,189.4 million and operating profit of £210.1 million;
• the Group placed around 83,750 candidates into permanent jobs and around 250,000 people into temporary roles;
• 16% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 22% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 36% in Rest of World (RoW);
• the temporary placement business represented 55% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 45% of net fees;
• Technology is the Group’s largest division, with 26% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (14%) and Construction & Property (11%), are the next largest
• Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA