The time is now to green the economy

We are living in the middle of a historic transformation in how, where, and even why we work. At LinkedIn, we call this the Great Reshuffle. At the same time our world is facing an urgent need to transition to a green economy to address the threat of climate change. This is a crucial moment for our planet, and we have an opportunity to build the next generation of green talent necessary to meet ambitious global climate change targets by focusing on the skills that will ultimately power the green economy.

Today’s release of our Global Green Skills Report takes a deep dive into this shift in the global economy. It provides key insights about where we can expand green jobs and green skills and deliver real change. It highlights shortcomings and provides recommendations for how we can close the green skills gap and upskill workers.

The good news is that among our nearly 800 million members around the world we are already seeing a shift to green skills and jobs underway on our platform. The share of green talent amongst our members increased from 9.6% in 2015 to 13.3% in 2021 - a cumulative growth of nearly 40%. And we’re seeing green skills emerge not only in core sustainability areas like ecosystem management, environmental policy, and pollution prevention - but also in areas not traditionally thought of as green. In fact, the vast majority of green skills are being used in jobs outside of the traditional green sphere - jobs like ​​fleet manager, data scientist and healthcare worker.

The bad news is we are not moving fast enough. Demand for green talent will soon outpace supply and we are currently a long way off the level of skills or green jobs required to deliver a green transition. We are missing out not only on opportunities to make economic activities more sustainable but also on economic opportunities for workers.

The time for action is now. We must harness and redirect human talent into the jobs and skills that can make the green economy a reality. Green skills are the building blocks of the green transition and the key to unlocking the human capital that will power it.

Achieving our collective global climate targets is a monumental task and it is going to take a whole- of-economy effort to make it happen. Our Global Green Skills Report is one way we at LinkedIn are stepping up, shining a light on how and where workers are contributing to the green transition, where gaps are emerging and what policymakers, organizations and individuals can do to accelerate change. We have made our data and job market expertise available to you, to policymakers and to companies around the world. Together let’s invest in green skills and build a green economy.