MARKET PULSE: The Great Resignation may still be taking the world by storm, but some sectors appear not to be affected. Speaking with one sustainability focused recruitment expert, it looks like this is because impact-driven roles are in more demand than ever before.
While other sectors are facing high staff turnover and finding it difficult to attract and retain staff, sustainability roles seem to still be in high demand.
According to statistics from LinkedIn, by 2025 there will be more demand for green skills than there are workers with green skills – so it’s vital that workers upskill to stay relevant, even workers in jobs you may not immediately think of as being sustainability-related.
“I would call it the great renegotiation – people [are] looking for better working arrangements, flexibility, and salary.
The number of jobs in renewables and environmental sectors have grown 237 per cent in the past five years, according to the employment website.
For the time being, it’s a sector with high demand where candidates are in the drivers seat.
“It’s chaos”, says Richard Evans, managing director of recruitment company Talent Nation, told The Fifth Estate.
“There’s lots of interest and high demand. It’s a candidate-driven market at the moment.” Evans who is a leading sustainability recruitment specialist has placed a number of professionals in sustainability roles recently.
There’s lots of interest and high demand. It’s a candidate-driven market at the moment.
As for wages, Evans says: “Although we are seeing an increase in wages in sustainability, people are focused on getting the right role… and seeing if the company is genuine, or if it’s greenwashing.”
In Talent Nation’s Remuneration Report from last year, the average package for a senior role in real estate was $338,390, with a senior appointment in a tier one property company commanding significantly more.
The company is preparing a report on the state of the sector, which will be released in the coming weeks.
Across the country, private sector wages rose 2.7 per cent over the year to June quarter 2022, the highest seasonally adjusted rate of growth for the sector since September 2013 according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
People are focused on getting the right role… and seeing if the company is genuine, or if it’s greenwashing.
“There’s a risk if a company is throwing money at people, they aren’t seen as genuine.”
Companies looking to recruit in the sector “can’t rely on job ads” unless they’re a brand that people really resonate with, he says.
“People aren’t applying for roles, because they’ve got a lot of options.”
The recruitment company is currently working with companies like BLab, the not-for-profit behind B Corps Australia.
“An organisation like that will attract a lot of interest because people are drawn to a role that’s purely impact driven.
“There’s got to be a compelling reason for people to look for a new role – and it’s not the salary.”
There’s got to be a compelling reason for people to look for a new role – and it’s not the salary.
Evans says another reason people might not be actively looking to apply for a new role may be because we are coming out of a period of uncertainty and are hesitant to take the plunge unless it’s worth it.
The term, The Great Resignation, was coined by organisational psychologist Anthony Klotz in May 2021, describing the unprecedented wave of quitting that is leading employees to rethink how, where, and why they work.
But that resignation has apparently dodged sustainability.
When asked if the so-called Great Resignation is over, Evans says he questions if the sustainability sector was ever affected by the phenomenon.
“I’m not doubting it’s happened – but in the sector of sustainability it hasn’t really happened.”
There’s been “a fair bit of turnover” in the last six to nine months, but that turnover is coming off the low turnover in the last two years.
“I would call it the great renegotiation – people [are] looking for better working arrangements, flexibility, and salary, is the shift.”