As India embraces a greener future, jobs in the sector are blossoming. There has been an 81 percent annual increase in demand for green jobs in India in January 2023 compared to the corresponding period a year ago.

As per data by foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), metropolitan cities have been seeing the most demand for green jobs in India. Also, green sector investments have proliferated compared to conventional fuel-based projects, creating substantial jobs.

“India’s solar and wind energy sectors are adding thousands of workers to new projects and will continue to create steady employment opportunities. However, the enormous demand for green roles is quickly outpacing the availability of skilled talent required in these fields. Hence, consistent and intelligent upskilling and development is crucial to create an efficient green workforce in the coming months.” said Sekhar Garisa, CEO, foundit.

On a monthly basis, there was a 64 percent growth in green job postings. Industries such as industrial products, heavy machinery, and waste management had the maximum hiring demand.

This marks an all-time high for green job postings on the foundit platform with both private and public sector companies integrating ESG practices as a central part of their business operations and transition to clean energy practices, said the report.

Metropolitan cities see a rise

According to foundit's data, there has been a substantial increase in green job postings across metro cities. Delhi/NCR registered a year-on-year (YoY) growth of 289 percent, followed by Mumbai at 216 percent and Bengaluru at 174 percent.

This increase can be attributed to urban India's increasing focus on developing a green economy, which has boosted demand for qualified workers across a variety of industries, including corporate services, software, education, and construction. Those with knowledge of sustainability and corporate social responsibility are particularly in high demand.

Furthermore, rapid urbanisation has necessitated the need for specialised roles in addressing air quality, waste management, land degradation, and clean transport segments, among others.

What kind of roles are on a rise?

Since businesses in the manufacturing and construction industries consciously work to account for the environmental impact of their activities, sustainability managers (26 percent) are among the job roles that are in the highest demand. Safety specialists (15 percent), ESG analysts (17 percent), environmental consultants (11 percent), and design engineers (9 percent), among others, are also needed.

These new jobs are a result of increasing numbers of Indian firms enlisting a trained workforce in climate action to support technical advancements and organised funding schemes to finally attain net-zero emissions.

Also read: Green Push: Here's how India can make its energy transition through trade policies

Auto, waste management top job creators

The waste management and environmental service sectors saw a startling 1,765 percent increase in hiring activity in January 2023. This increase can be linked to Indian businesses' rising awareness of the need to protect natural resources and ensure efficient garbage disposal. The urgent problem of India's growing urbanisation has also received increased attention, which has significantly increased the number of solid waste management projects.

There has been a 307 percent rise in demand for green jobs in the automotive sector. Automakers are heavily investing in electric vehicles (EVs) to reduce their environmental impact in addition to taking proactive measures to limit transportation emissions, such as designing sustainably, better utilising manufacturing resources, and sourcing ethically and responsibly. The EV market is also one of the fastest-growing in the nation as it prepares to reduce automobile emissions.

Further, the central government has also allocated Rs 10,222 crore to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as part of the Union Budget 2023.

Budget 2023 allocated Rs 6,900 crore to the ministry, up from Rs 5,753 crore last year.

Climate action and sustainability have been a key topic of discussion as well as implementation, especially in the last year, not just in the country but on various global platforms as well such as the G20, World Economic Forum, etc.

Also read: National Green Hydrogen Mission set to create 6 lakh jobs — but what kind of jobs?

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Feb 28, 2023 8:27 PM IST