Green Jobs and Sustainability Focused Employment Opportunities

The green jobs boom comprises both the public and the private sectors. Current and future employment opportunities include urban growers, water quality technicians, clean car engineers, recyclers, natural scientists, and green builders.

Green jobs are in high demand and that demand will only increase. The number of green economy jobs has been growing for years. In 2013, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) said that 2.3 percent of private sector jobs or about 2,515,200 positions were related to the production of green goods and services. This includes everything from clean power production to green buildings and electric cars.

Senior personal in the green jobs market can easily earn six figure incomes. Generally speaking the pay scale is commensurate with the level of educational achievement. As reported by Indeed, those employed in sustainability average between 70k – 90k per year. One of the more lucrative jobs in high demand is the position of  sustainability manager.

Sustainability focused consultants are in demand this includes supply chain management, product design, marketing and company culture. The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) indicates that average salaries in this field are well over $70,000 annually.

Green lobbyist and advocates are another employment opportunity enjoying high demand from public interest groups, lobbying firms, or election campaigns. They run advocacy campaigns, set up fundraisers, organize meetings and do media outreach. The average salary is around $100,000 per year. Natural science managers earn an average salary of $114,000 per year and chief sustainability executives (vice president, director) average around $200,000 per year.

However, the renewable energy sector will deliver the most jobs. In 2017 IRENA reported that there were more than 8 million people working in the renewable energy sector. That number is expected to triple to at least 24 million by 2030. This includes jobs in the solar and wind industries, but also opportunities in other less well known clean energy sectors like geothermal and wave energy producers.