Ireland's race towards zero carbon emissions is set to fuel a green jobs revolution.
And the energy crisis sparked by war in Ukraine is speeding up the “great reshuffle” in the jobs market, experts have said.
This week Ireland’s first ever solar farm came on stream in Wicklow creating 100 jobs and giving a business boost to 11 other local firms.
It’s viewed as an important step on the road to making the country less dependent on foreign oil and gas as the energy crisis bites and fuels runaway price hikes.
It will also be key to fulfilling pledges to power 80% of the country with renewable energy by 2030.
Analysts expect the energy transformation to create millions of jobs around the world.
The green transition is also creating roles in every other part of the global economy with ‘sustainability professionals’ and ‘green skills’ in massive demand.
The Government here has responded by making climate change studies a Leaving Certificate subject from 2025 to equip students for the 21st century jobs market.
Read More: Half a tonne of clothes dumped in landfill across Ireland every minute
Among the fastest growing industries for green skills sought by employers are:
- fashion and apparel
- environmental services
- construction
- higher education
- renewables and environment
- government administration
- jewellery
- the internet and IT
- farming, including ‘Urban Farmers’
- finance and investment management
- biotechnology
- the motor industry
- sustainability experts
- recycling and managing the new emerging ‘circular economy’
According to Linked-In’s Global Green Skills Report for 2022, “a massive shift underway in the global economy” that will impact Ireland’s cities.
“The world is witnessing a historic transformation in how people work, why they work and where they work,” CEO Ryan Roslansky said.
“At LinkedIn, we call it the Great Reshuffle, an unprecedented moment in history where we are reimagining the future of work. Jobs are a critical part of the conversation about achieving this green transition. We expect to see millions of new jobs created globally in the next decade driven by new climate policies and commitments.
“For example, in the last five years, the number of Renewables & Environment jobs in the U.S. has increased by 237%, in stark contrast to the 19% increase for Oil & Gas jobs. At this pace, the Renewables & Environment sector will outnumber Oil & Gas in total jobs on our platform by 2023. The fastest-growing green skills are in Ecosystem Management, Environmental Policy and Pollution Prevention.
“But the vast majority of green skills are being used in jobs that aren’t traditionally thought of as green — such as fleet managers, data scientists or health workers.”
The report reveals a major deficit in green skilled workers who are being sought at a much higher rate than those without those skills.
The fastest growing green jobs globally in the last five years were: Sustainability Manager (+30%), Wind Turbine Technician (+24%), Solar Consultant (+23%), Ecologist (+22%), and Environmental Health and Safety Specialist +(20%).
However Ireland remained bottom of a list of nations for the level of skills used in jobs here, indicating a major boom still to come experts say.
From Linked In Global Green Skills Report The International Labour Organisation predicts that the greening of the economy will create 24 million jobs globally in the next eight years, while six million will be lost.
Many of these will be in roles aimed at achieving net zero emissions and protecting and restoring the natural environment.
Some of the fastest growing job sectors by 2030 it estimates will include:
- 800 million ‘urban farmers’ growing crops in cities and on roofs of buildings
- 6.5 million ‘eco-builders’ constructing low carbon, smart buildings and retrofitting old building stock
- 6 million circular economy recyclers and up-cyclers working in fields from fashion to furniture and waste management
Earlier this month leading environmental services firm Veolia announced 60 new roles in its Dublin, Cork, Belfast and Kilkenny based business helping companies to achieve carbon reduction targets. It already employs 700 people in Ireland and 180,000 around the world.
It said it has seen a surge in demand from sectors in the economy seeking solutions to reach towards zero emissions particularly in food, beverage, waste and water management, healthcare and IT>
“Over the past year, Veolia has seen a 75% increase in enquiries from clients into how they can implement carbon reduction strategies across their processes, with many clients looking towards longer projects to deliver monetary and carbon savings, often up to 10 or 15 years,” a spokesman said.
“This growing demand for sustainable solutions is being driven by Veolia’s industrial clients pushing to meet Ireland’s 2030 target of a 51% reduction in emissions, and to become carbon neutral by 2050 under Government’s Climate Action Plan.”
The company is recruiting graduates and non-graduates to fill jobs for engineers, technicians and managers including at its hazardous waste facility in Fermoy, Co. Cork.
It also has a contract to reduce the carbon footprint of Dublin’s Mater hospital by 81,000 tonnes while slashing electricity usage by 77 percent and saving €26 million.
Donna Marie Masterson, Head of HR at Veolia Ireland, said: “We’ve seen a major shift in our clients’ mindsets as they look to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their environmental performance.
“As we move towards a more circular economy, we’re looking for new recruits from entry level, including apprentices and graduates, to senior level interested in working at the forefront of innovative environmental solutions for businesses and industry.”
Another 12 million people worldwide already work in renewable energy which has now become crucial to global peace and energy security as the west tries to turn off Russian gas and oil.
The International Energy Agency has produced a detailed pathway for nations to get to zero-carbon energy future that also tackles energy poverty and security for all by 2050 but it requires immediate actions by governments, business and consumers now.
This week 100 Irish workers joined that growing labour force at the country’s first solar farm in Wicklow. Millvale solar farm, developed by Neoen, is now delivering electricity into the national grid. It is located close to Ashford in Co. Wicklow and has a generation capacity of 8MW. The farm occupies 25 hectares and has 33,600 solar modules – enough to power approximately 3,600 homes every year and avoid 4,800 tonnes in CO2 emissions.
It will be fully operational by the end of this month and is expected to be the first of many solar projects to add to Ireland’s wind renewables mix with two more already planned for Meath and Kildare. Together, the three plants will generate enough electricity to power 12,700 homes and will prevent over 17,000 tonnes of CO 2 emissions per year by the end of 2022.
Launching the farm Minister Eamon Ryan added: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent energy challenges, has underpinned the importance of accelerating the switch to indigenous, renewable sources of energy and reducing Ireland’s reliance on imported fossil fuels.
“Measures that reduce fossil fuel use also support the development of Ireland’s Circular Economy, by reducing our dependence on the extraction of natural resources, many of which have to be imported. In this way Ireland can reduce its exposure to complex supply chains and supply shocks.”
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