ESG Jobs in India Have Grown 223% Since 2019: Indeed Report

As the world is celebrating the World Environment Day on June 5, leading job site Indeed on Monday said there has been a remarkable 223 per cent surge in environment, social and governance (ESG) jobs over the past four years, between April 2019 and April 2023.

“This increase in ESG-related positions is a testament to the growing focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility within the Indian job market. Jobs related to the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sector have grown over 223 per cent in India between April 2019 to April 2023,” Indeed said in a statement.

The increase over the past four years showcases the remarkable shift as companies increasingly prioritise sustainability efforts. With concerns about climate change and the urgent need to build more diverse and inclusive workforces at the forefront of many business leaders’ minds, an increasing number of firms are pledging to take action on climate, social and other issues by following environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

The most significant increase in job postings on Indeed platform came about between April 2021 and April 2022, growing by 109 per cent.

“Despite this massive increase, last year saw a decline of 22 per cent in job postings for ESG jobs. This indicates that while sustainability formed a key part of organizational goals due to the pandemic, it may have cooled down in the last one year, indicating a stabilization of this segment of jobs, following the post-covid growth spurt,” it said.

On the other hand, demand from jobseekers has seen a positive growth in the last one year. Job searches for sustainability roles increased by 31 per cent between April 2022 and 2023, the highest growth in the last three years. Interest in sustainability roles grew by 13 per cent from jobseekers overall in the last three years. This shows that there is an increasing demand from jobseekers to work in sustainability and allied fields.

Sashi Kumar, head (sales) for Indeed India, said, “The growing demand for ESG professionals can be attributed to several factors, including rising consumer expectations, and the need for companies to enhance their brand reputation. Employers are actively seeking individuals with expertise in sustainable practices, environmental science, conservation, corporate social responsibility, and related fields to fill these positions.”

Additionally, he added, employees, especially the younger ones, today place much more importance on environmental and social concerns than the previous generation. The world of work now seems to be involved and leveraging employees’ passion areas across ESG space.

A similar trend is seen in other southeast asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia which saw a 146 per cent and 139 per cent increase, respectively, in ESG job postings in the last three years. Just like India, both these countries saw a decline in the last one year (-29 per cent and -10 per cent) but saw a strong growth in demand from jobseekers of 71 per cent and 111 per cent, respectively, in the last three years.

According to Indeed, the data is pooled from job postings and job searches on Indeed’s platform between 2019 and 2023 with keywords such as ‘ESG’, ‘Environmental Social Governance’ or ‘Sustainability’.