In the last year alone, the demand for sustainability skills increased by 11.6%, necessitating more global investment in green education, including in business education.
The report—based on anonymized profile information of LinkedIn members and job postings—focused on the demand for several categories of career skills, including environmental finance, energy management, environmental auditing, sustainable procurement, climate change mitigation and other related skills. Job postings were considered ‘green’ if they required extensive knowledge of those skills or listed one as a requirement.
The data revealed that by 2050, the gap between the large demand and limited supply of sustainability skills will swell to 101.5%—meaning the supply of ‘green’ talent will need to at least double to keep pace.
Meanwhile, the true demand for job applicants with sustainability skills may be even higher, with the data analysts noting that the figures are “conservative estimates of trends in the green transition.” As governments and businesses move to increase climate action and limit global warming to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, new jobs requiring these skills are likely to be created.
“As we move along in our green transition, we are sure to see an increase in demand either through existing jobs becoming greener or new green jobs emerging on the scene,” wrote the author of the report, LinkedIn data scientist Akash Kaura.
Regional differences in demand for sustainability skills
Demand for ‘green’ skills varied across the 43 countries examined in the report, with Portugal, the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Singapore, and Luxembourg having the widest gap between demand and the supply of talent.
The rapidly growing demand in those nations “could be a concern for the pace of the green transition,” researchers said, but it could also be an opportunity for students and business professionals looking to upskill.
In Portugal, the demand for sustainability skills grew by a hefty 71.3% from 2023 to 2024. Meanwhile, in the UK, demand increased by 46% in the last year.
Colombia, Brazil, Romania and Chile also experienced significant growth in the demand for ‘green’ talent when looking at the slightly longer period of 2021 to 2024.
Yet some nations saw year-over-year declines in the number of ‘green’ job postings, including Finland, Peru, the Netherlands, Belgium and Greece. But the report said the declines in those countries are likely due to “temporary headwinds", as most experienced an overall increase in demand compared to 2021.
Survey shows students looking to prioritize sustainability
The new LinkedIn report comes as demand for sustainability skills has also increased among business students themselves, with survey data revealing that more and more students are looking for universities that prioritize environmental consciousness, equity and inclusion.
Nearly three-quarters of prospective business students said it’s important to attend a school that incorporates sustainable development practices into the academic experience, according to the 2024 Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) Prospective Student Survey.
More than a third of respondents said they would rule out a business school if it lacked sustainable development principles.
