Written by Intengine in partnership with ECO Canada
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Hosted by: ECO Canada
Non-Member Price: Free
Member Price: Free
Course Length: 40 mins
Career Stage: All Career Stages
Summary: Environmental Workforce Outlook Data and Insights 2020
The environmental workforce consists of core environmental workers and environmental goods & services sector workers. Current trends which act to drive employment in the environmental sector include conversation surrounding climate change, regulatory changes, economic growth, an increasing demand for green solutions amongst the public, schedule attractiveness and whether or not a license/certification is required for a particular job.
Talking points:
An estimated 620,100 employees worked in the environmental sector in 2019, with a projected estimate of 38% growth, equivalent to 233,500 additional job openings by 2029. Environmental workers are found all over Canada, with almost all occupations having environmental positions.
The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected the economy, including a reduction in activity in the environmental sector. These effects are not expected to be permanent with some form of normalcy returning in 3-4 years time. All of Canada’s regions will be looking for more environmental workers over the next 10 years.
In British Columbia, environmental protection mandates drive an increasing number of environmental job openings, with 7,600 new jobs and 28,300 retiring workers, totaling at 35,900 expected by 2029. Approximately 75% of these job openings will be related to management, natural & applied sciences, business, and finance & administration.
Alberta will see even greater expansion with 44,900 net environmental job openings expected by 2029. A comprehensive occupational breakdown for the core workforce can be downloaded on our website at www.eco.ca.
Post-secondary education is becoming increasingly important with over 90% of green jobs requiring some level of higher education. In 2019, 75% of environmental workers in Canada were educated at the post-secondary level, which is above the average 63% of total workers in Canada with this education.
Historical trends foresee a shortage in environmental workers by 2029, which would be detrimental to Canada’s attainment of its environmental goals. A focus on talent building in the green sector is imperative to offset this shortage.
For job and career success in the environmental sector many attributes including drive, work ethic, experience and education are important, as well as staying current on issues and trends. ECO Canada wants to help you on your career journey through making resources such as webinars and career profiles available, in addition to hosting training, events, offering memberships & designations and more!
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