careers in sustainability eco canada 2013

7/27/2019 Careers in Sustainability ECO Canada 2013

1/17

Careers inSustainability

Current Job Trends

and Future Growth


2/17

About the Study

In Winter 2013, ECO Canada interviewed 658 Canadianorganizations:

37%had employees working in environmental,social or economic sustainability

22%used a corporate sustainability policy togovern their core business functions

57% incorporated their sustainability teams intomore than one business unit or department


3/17

Overview

This research uncovered new insights on Canadian

careers in sustainability, including:

Where the jobs are top employers

and demand by province

What it takes to get hired required

skills, education and experience

How viable these careers will be

typical salaries and future job growth

Who works in the sector characteristics

of the sustainability workforce


4/17

Canadas Sustainability Workforce

Definition of Sustainability Professionals:

50,659Sustainability Professionals work in Canada

18%of Canadian organizations have at least oneSustainability Professional on staff

Practitioners who spend at least 50%of their time

performing activities related to environmental,economic or social sustainability.


5/17


6/17

Top Sustainability Employers

Distribution of Sustainability Workforce by Employer Type

Governments

Research Institutions/Not-for-Profit

OrganizationsLarge Enterprises (Manufacturing, Oil & Gas,Mining, Forestry, Utilities)Other Businesses (Retail, Finance, Insurance)

Sustainability Consulting Firms

Governments are one of

the top employers of

Sustainability Professionals,

representing 27% of thesustainability workforce

Governments

(27%)

Other

(25%)

Research

Institutions/ Not-

for-Profit

Organizations

(24%)

Large Enterprises

(10%)

Other Businesses

10%

Sustainability

Consulting Firms

(5%)


7/17

Where are the Jobs?

6%

20%

35%

4%

3%

15%

17%

7%

23%

38%

4%

3%

12%13%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Atlantic Provinces Qubec Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia

Share of Organizations with Sustainability Staff Share of Canadian Labour Force

British Columbia andAlbertahave

the highest proportion of

sustainability jobs compared to their

share of the Canadian labour force


8/17

Profiling the Sustainability Workforce

2,512

5%

6,456

13%

35,453

70%

2,442

5%

808

1%

647

1%

2,340

5%

Chief Sustainability Officer

Sustainability Officer

Sustainability Specialist

Sustainability Researcher

Sustainability Trainer

Sustainability Educator

Sustainability Consultant

70% of SustainabilityProfessionals work as

Sustainability Specialists

# and % ofSustainability

Professionals

working in each

occupation


9/17

Age Distribution

24%

48%

26%

1%

60%

32%

8%

0%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Under Age 35 Age 35 - 49 Age 50 - 65 Age 65+

% of Sustainability Professionals

(Excluding Sustainability Consultants)

% of Sustainability Consultants

The majority ofSustainability Consultants

are young: 60% are

under the age 35


10/17

Level of Experience

Most Sustainability Professionals are at the Mid

to Senior point of their careers, with 8+ years of

professional experience

Entry-Level(< 1 year of

experience)

Early Career(1 4 years of

experience )

Mid-Career(5-7 years of

experience)

Senior-Level(8+ years of

experience)

Total # of

Sustainability

Professionals

789 9,319 12,388 28,163

Total % ofSustainability

Workforce

1.6% 18.4% 24.5% 55.6%


11/17

Education

68%of all Sustainability Professionals hold aBachelors degree or higher

Top Fields of Study for

Sustainability Careers:

Business or Public

Administration

Physical or Life Sciences

Engineering

Social Sciences

Natural

Resources/Conservation

32%of senior Sustainability

Professionals have a degree inBusiness or Public

Administration

Sustainability Consultants are

more likely to hold degrees inPhysical/Life Sciences,

Engineering or Natural

Resources/Conservation


12/17

Key Skills in Sustainability

In their work, Sustainability Professionals rely

on these top competencies:

Interpreting, enforcing and complying with environmental

regulations and standards

Implementing and monitoring sustainable development strategies and

programs

Partnering with stakeholders

Developing corporate environmental sustainability policies andprocedures

Building sustainable development indicators, plans and strategies


13/17

How Much Do Sustainability Professionals

Make in Canada?

$68,940

$80,402

$77,259

$61,251

$50,716

$63,222

$105,119

$55,761

$44,830

$17,856

$53,142

$40,649

$54,076

$80,547

$0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000 $100,000 $120,000

Sustainability Consultant

Sustainability Educator

Sustainability Trainer

Sustainability Researcher

Sustainability Specialist

Sustainability Officer

Chief Sustainability Officer

Mean Starting Base Salary

Mean Top Salary (Experienced

Workers)

Starting salaries range

widely for Sustainability

Professionals due to:

Type of Employer

Occupation

Level of Experience


14/17

The Forecast for Job Growth

Canadian jobs in sustainability will grow

significantly in the next

3 to 5 years

84%of sustainabilityconsulting firms expect

to hire

=400 new jobs

46% of other sustainabilityemployers will also increase

their staff

=

3,800 additional jobs


15/17

Key Take-Away Points

1.) Sustainability jobs are in high demand, with over 50,000

Canadian professionals performing work in this area.

2.) There are viable and diverse career paths in sustainability.

3.) Companies count on Sustainability Professionals to support corebusiness functions, especially to reduce risk and increase capital

4.) High levels of experience and education are necessary for most

careers in sustainability

5.) Sustainability Professionals draw upon key skills related toenvironmental, economic and social sustainability to support

change management, strategic development and corporate social

responsibility


16/17

Thinking About a Career in Sustainability?

Heres how to:

Get started Find out which careers are in top demand (and how to get

them) in 7 New Sustainability Career Profiles. Learn more at: www.eco.ca/occupationalprofiles

Get recognized EP Sustainability is a new specialization to help you market

your skills to sustainability employers and clients. Discover the benefits at: www.eco.ca/discover-ep-sustainability


17/17

A special thanks to RDA Global Inc. for conducting thisstudy. We also thank the numerous interviewees who

graciously provided their time and insights.

Learn more about ECO Canadas ongoing labour market

research at:

www.eco.ca/publications

ECO Canada @ecocanada ECO Canada

This project was funded by the Government of Canadas Sector Council Program. The opinions and interpretations in this publication are

the authors and do not necessarily reflect those held by the Government of Canada.

Copyright 2013 ECO Canada

All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, whether it is reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form

or means (including electronic, mechanical, photographic, photocopying or recording), without the prior written permission of ECO Canada

is an infringement of copyright law.

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