Green Jobs of 2025

It sounds like a cliché, but it’s true: there’s never been a better time to get a job in sustainability.  

Between 2022 and 2023, LinkedIn reported that the share of talent with the skills needed to address the climate crisis was 12.3%. Which, on the face of it, isn’t ideal. But the same report found that the share of jobs posted over the same period that required at least one ‘green’ skill increased by nearly 22.4%. In other words, the demand for green-ready workers is booming. The workforce just isn’t keeping up. Right now, the green economy is a jobseekers’ market, so what does that mean for careers in sustainability and renewable energy? 

Green growth 

With governments around the world looking to diversify their energy mix and double down on renewables, investment into activities that reduce carbon emissions has exploded over the last few years. The green economy has grown 7.6% CAGR over the past decade, which beats the 5.3% of the broader market. There have been ups and downs in the wake of COVID-19 – the green economy’s market cap, for instance, dropped in 2022, before rebounding strongly in 2023 – but the overall trajectory is up. In fact, Oxford Economics estimates that the green economy will be worth $10.3 trillion to global GDP by 2050.  

What are the best careers in sustainability?  

The global challenge of reducing carbon emissions calls for a tectonic economy shift, and that’s good news for jobseekers. It means sustainability jobs are sprouting up across industries, across countries, across roles and departments. In the same way that ‘data was everyone’s business’ five years ago, sustainability is now on everyone’s radar. Regardless of your role. Nevertheless, there are three key areas, according to LinkedIn, that are especially pivotal in meeting sustainability targets: energy production, transportation and finance.  

So what are the best sustainability careers for 2025?  

Solar consultant  

Solar consultants are essentially sales reps for solar. They scout potential clients, evaluate energy needs, recommend certain products and generate proposals. With 4.9 million jobs in solar photovoltaic systems in 2022, solar is the fastest-growing sector in renewable energy. It represents about one third of the entire green workforce.  

Solar installer 

For the more technically-minded, solar installer is another career with great prospects. Solar installers travel to job sites, install solar panels, configure batteries, and hook up solar systems to the wider grid. We’ve seen an 87% increase in job listings for solar installers over the last few years, which isn’t surprising. In Australia alone, we install around 300,000 rooftop solar systems each year.  

Environmental manager 

Every major organisation these days has an ESG strategy, often with fixed emission reduction targets and other green initiatives. Environmental managers work closely with organisations to keep this strategy on-track, either in-house or as a consultant. They advise on energy procurement, recycling, waste disposal and financed emissions. A qualification in environmental science, environmental management or sustainability is the best way to jump into this field.    

Environmental engineer 

Environmental engineers solve green problems. Usually with some combination of engineering, soil science, biology and chemistry. Any large-scale green energy infrastructure project will have teams of environmental engineers assessing the likely impact, designing equipment and management systems, or finding ways to mitigate pollution.  

Adjacent skills, and how to use them 

So you want to transition into the green economy, but you’re worried you don’t have ‘green-ready’ skills? Don’t panic. You may be a better candidate than you think. While LinkedIn acknowledges that green jobs can be tricky to break into (because they tend to require a combination of multiple, overlapping skills), they also point out three key areas of opportunity: STEM skills, new green jobs, and gateway jobs.  

STEM skills, in particular, are at the top of the list when it comes to increasing your chances of landing a sustainability role, since many green careers are grounded in science and maths. Digital skills, tech skills, experience in utilities, mining or agriculture, public administration – these are all transferable, and highly in demand.  

We’re also seeing organizations hiring workers with no green experience for new sustainability roles, like ‘Energy Specialist’, ‘Energy Manager’ and ‘Environmental Technician’. Given many of these roles have never existed before, if you have similar or adjacent skillsets, that may be enough. 52.2% of successful hires for ‘Energy Specialist’, for example, had zero green experience in 2022.  

Lastly, LinkedIn’s report recommends looking into ‘gateway jobs’, which are roles that involve sustainability, but don’t have it as a core purpose. 41% of new hires in these roles tend to have no prior green experience, and they’re a great way to beef up your sustainability credentials. 

In other words, the cliché is true, there really is no better time to switch careers and get into sustainability. This is a market that’s heading in only one direction, upwards, and we need as many people on board as possible.