Climate Change creates specialist job boom

The growing issue of Global Climate Change has created a whole new job market that is set for staggering further growth over the next five years.

Research carried out by Sustainability Recruitment Consultancy Acre Resources shows there was more than a 130 percent increase in specialist jobs relating to Climate Change between May 2006 and May 2007, resulting in heightened activity within major companies.

This trend looks set to continue, as current market performance and predicted rates of growth indicate that the new sector will multiply by up to 4* times its current size by 2012. The explosion in climate change-specific jobs over the last three years is reflected by large rises in average wages in the sector, from 19,000 in 2005 to 45,000 today.

While Environmental Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have been growing issues for business over the last twenty years, the scope and speed of Climate Change is clearly becoming a serious commercial challenge that wonít go away.

Big firms are now recruiting visible and high-level managers to develop clear strategies to understand and mitigate their Climate Change impacts. This step-change has resulted in a need for high-calibre people with top-level technical and strategic abilities.

Andy Cartland, director of Acre Resources, said: ìRoles such as ëClimate Change Managerí, reporting to the board, are becoming commonplace within major blue chips. With consumers demanding more climate-friendly products, and investors putting pressure on companies to take action, Climate Change is an issue thatís being pushed up the corporate agenda. Judging from the work weíve been doing with major clients, it wonít be long before entire teams focusing on Climate Change become the norm.î

Acre Resourcesí data shows:

- The size of teams in big companies working in the CSR, Environmental and Climate Change sectors has on average tripled in the last three years.

- This growth curve looks set to continue at least for the next couple of years.

- In 2007, the average wage in the Climate Change sector stands at 43,000 (25% up on 2005)

- Average wages in the wider environmental sector stand at 32,346 (up 6% on 2005)

- The number of Climate Change jobs grew by more than 200% in the last 12 months.

- The number of other environmental specialist jobs grew by an estimated 28% last year

Climate Change professionals do not face an easy ride. With some companies now looking to assess the full carbon footprint of their products, in-depth auditing work is required to measure the CO2 emissions from operational and manufacturing processes, hence the evolution of the role of Carbon Footprint Manager.

Once companies understand their footprint, various strategies need to be developed to reduce their impact through energy-use reduction, process improvement and behaviour change ñ Climate Change managers are expected to deliver tangible results which can be presented to the board, stakeholders, and consumers.

Though the problem of Climate Change is an increasing concern, companies are starting to do something about it. With a growing workforce keen to get involved and industry leaders now engaged, solutions may well begin to emerge.

Andrew Cartland of Acre is positive about the future: ìItís not all doom and gloom. Climate Change will present big opportunities for business as well as problems ñ and weíre helping companies hire people to shape their businesses for the better.î