Low pay is putting job seekers off roles that have a positive impact on society or the environment, research by Indeed has found.
Despite growing interest in green roles, which are becoming more prevalent as the UK heads towards net zero, one in five job candidates polled by the hiring platform felt there were not enough paid positions to apply for, and even when paid positions come up, one in three were discouraged by inadequate pay.
Overall, a quarter of respondents said they would take a pay cut for a sustainable job. However, there were generational differences in willingness, with just 18% of 45-54 year olds prepared to take a lower salary, compared with 42% of 18-24 year olds.
More than half (52%) felt ESG or sustainability roles were mainly voluntary or fundraising roles.
Other barriers to applying for sustainability jobs include concerns about greenwashing, with one in five job seekers deterred from such roles because the employers’ sustainability credentials did not match what they claim.
Similarly, one in five employers agreed that greenwashing perceptions were a barrier to recruitment in this sector.
Location was also a factor deterring applicants, with 42% of the 1,047 job seekers polled stating that their location was problematic. Those in the West Midlands were the most likely to feel this (47%), while those in the south east of England felt they were best placed (33% citing location as a challenge).
Two in five (44%) would consider retraining to enter the sustainability sector, but 27% who have been trying to transition to these roles said they had been unsuccessful so far. A quarter said they did not have the right qualifications, such as a scientific degree for many of the roles, and 44% felt employers were not open enough to transferrable skills.
Meanwhile, employers that offer such jobs report a lack of candidates with the right skills (29%). Twenty-two per cent of the 500 employers surveyed said better support systems for workers to transition from other industries could address recruitment challenges.
Despite these concerns, people now consider jobs that positively impact society (57%) and the environment (55%) as more important than when they started their careers.
Indeed’s senior economist Jack Kennedy said: “With the increasing pressures of climate change, it’s encouraging to see there is a growing interest in sustainability-related jobs from both employers and job seekers in the UK. On the Indeed platform, there has been a 116% increase in ESG/sustainability-related job postings between 2019 and 2024, highlighting a greater commitment to sustainable business practices.
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“In order to take full advantage of this momentum and effectively fill these roles, more education, investment and incentives are needed to support job seekers and employers throughout the recruitment process. Employers need to be open-minded to transferable skills and remote working, it would open more doors for more people to enter this sector. Ultimately, this will not only meet the needs of the growing job market but also strengthen the UK’s efforts towards Net Zero.”
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