Green jobs: The tech workforce is greening up to meet net zero targets

The world of work has changed dramatically in recent years, with many jobs being outsourced to low-wage countries, technology replacing human labour and remote work becoming a reality.

But there’s another trend on the rise that has proven to be just as significant: A growing number of people are choosing careers in ‘green’ industries – those which focus on reducing environmental damage or improving energy efficiency.

The number of jobs in the energy sector is predicted to reach up to 139 million  by 2030 if the world continues its current trajectory towards holding warming below 1.5°C/2.7°F. Airswift’s “The green tech talent required to boost net zero” whitepaper aims to explore this through a series of fundamental angles such as:

• The tech transformation in the renewables sector
• The top skills in demand for this new green tech workforce
• The transferable skills between the energy industries
• The top courses offered by major universities and acceleration programs covering green tech subjects
• The emerging markets that will match this new green tech workforce

Many experts were consulted for their views on the future of the energy sector and the skills required to succeed in it.

James Custer, 8 Rivers’ Chief of Staff, was one of the experts interviewed and he predicted that finding the right people is going to be the name of the game for the energy industry. Expanding the talent search to industries (especially the tech sector) beyond the realm of energy will also be vital to securing the talent needed to drive the world’s net zero goals. 

“We really prioritise and welcome a multidisciplinary team. And so, folks who come from backgrounds within oil, gas and energy, are of course critical, but people who have skills and experiences outside of those sectors are also important.” – James Custer, Chief of Staff, 8 Rivers

Green technology has its own singularity, but with mankind’s main objective being combating climate change, this new sector has the potential to affect all industries and drive most of the jobs of today as well as tomorrow.