Who gets green jobs? Australia is starting to, survey says

There has been a lot of talk about green jobs lately – not least of all from Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who earlier this week told the Rio+20 Summit that the Australian government was doing its bit (carbon pricing, funding renewables) to drive a push to end global poverty by creating green jobs.

So what are these jobs? Where are they? And how do they pay? According to a new survey, released today by sustainability recruitment group Carbonjobs, specialist corporate sustainability and climate change responsibilities in Australia are still mostly tacked on to existing corporate affairs, legal, operational, treasury and/or traditional environmental compliance and reporting roles – and their salaries are typically less than “more strategic employment openings.”

The inaugural Carbonjobs salary survey – described by the Brisbane-based company as the most comprehensive and up to date benchmarking guide of its kind – is the result of extensive research conducted in Australia and New Zealand over 12 months, ending June 30, 2012.

It focuses on six key employment sectors – corporate sector (in-house); professional services (consultancy); financial services, research and trading; public sector (not-for-profit); renewable energy and cleantech development; executive level professionals and non-executive directors – while noting that climate change, renewable energy, carbon pricing and/or corporate sustainability duties will ultimately form some component of most individual’s careers in the not-too distant future.

And – provided political and/or commercial retreat is avoided – the survey says the outlook for green jobs will improve as the marketplace matures.

“We expect that individuals in key management roles will be able to commit an ever increasing amount of their working week to specialist climate change and corporate sustainability duties given an ability to handover more traditional tasks to their colleagues ie. they will no need to wear 3-4 hats to justify their inclusion within the corporate hierarchy,” says Carbonjobs director, John Revie.

Revie told RenewEconomy that salary packages are also expected rise “in an otherwise flat employment marketplace …as individual’s are able to pursue openings that better utilise their full suite of technical expertise. Greater contributions can be made to the employer and/or clients thus justifying a higher salary offering.”

At present, however – and in contrast with the more mature European marketplace – Revie says they have found that stand alone, in-house corporate roles in Australia and New Zealand are less commonplace outside of a handful of key corporate entities.

“The salaries on offer are largely dictated by the associated responsibilities of the job as opposed to the individual working within the role. We often see highly experienced professionals in more of a reporting and compliance role even though they are capable of contributing in a far more strategic way. The salaries of such reporting and compliance roles are typically less than more strategic employment openings,” Revie said.

“Undoubtedly the marketplace uncertainly associated with the Australian political landscape of late has contributed to an underinvestment in longer term carbon and energy projects. Less projects being signed off equates to less specialist employment opportunities being created. This is also true of the highly specialised renewable energy sector with additional limitations, over and above political uncertainty, associated with access to funding as a result of PPA scarcity.

“It would appear that there still exists an oversupply of experienced specialist job seekers in today’s marketplace when compared against the volume of climate change and corporate sustainability employment opportunitie,” Revie said.

“This trend will rapidly reverse given that the volume of work to be released once certainty is reintroduced into the marketplace, far and away outstrips the current volume of skilled workers in Australia and New Zealand.

“Future skills gaps will be filled with talented international job seekers returning as expats from Europe and Asia as well as via sponsorship offerings to highly skilled international professionals. Lastly, individuals possessing strong academics qualifications but limited practical expertise will be finally given a chance to move sideways into a climate change and corporate sustainability role.”