COP28: Women make up only 33% of those with green skills globally: LinkedIn

Today marks the beginning of COP28 in which global leaders meet in Dubai, UAE, to discuss the most pressing sustainability challenges occurring across the globe.

Yet there is an underrepresentation of women in green jobs and leadership positions, according to new research from LinkedIn.

The research highlights that nine in 10 women lack a single green skill, whilst 16% of men have at least one. Additionally, women make up only 33% of those with green skills or experience globally.

This has been dubbed as a ‘green ceiling’.

Ngaire Moyes, UK country manager at LinkedIn, describes this as “deeply concerning,” sharing that organizations need all of the workforce – not just half – and the diversity of perspectives and solutions that brings if the urgent climate goals are to be met.

“Women are underrepresented in leadership roles across all industries, and this lack of representation is even more pronounced in green industries,” Moyes says.

“Women make up just over a fifth of green leadership roles, compared to more than a quarter of top jobs across the global economy.

“And although women have been entering the green talent pool at a higher rate than men over the last two years, our data shows that the pace of change is still too slow and that the green gender gap is actually widening – which will only exacerbate the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles.

“This is a huge issue as achieving net zero targets will require a whole-economy effort, which means that policymakers and businesses simply can’t afford for half the global workforce to be left behind.”

What’s more, women hold only 20% of VP roles across the globe and 21% of C-Suite roles renewable energy industries.

Upskilling and reskilling employees to transition to the sustainability sector

Although LinkedIn’s research shows a clear disparity between men and women in green jobs, an even playing field is not found even once individuals transition from non-green to green roles.

Globally, men tend to have a 27% similar skillset when transitioning into the sustainability sector compared to their female counterparts, suggesting that it’s even more challenging for women to close the gender gap in green industries.

However, HR teams and business leaders can implement steps to close this, to make it as easy as possible for all employees to attain green skills.

Moyes shares the example of E.ON UK, an energy and sustainable solution provider company actively taking action to help individuals gain green skills across all stages of their careers – from entry-level, all the way through to its senior leadership program.

Currently, E.ON has almost 200 apprentices working on over 50 different schemes and has rolled out LinkedIn Learning to give access to learning and development opportunities to employees with thousands of on-demand, expert-led online learning courses.

Some of the green courses completed include ‘Navigating Environmental Sustainability: A Guide for Leaders’, ‘Closing the Green Skills Gap to Power a Greener Economy’, and ‘The Employee’s Guide to Sustainability’”

“Given that demand for green skills is rapidly outpacing supply, we will increasingly see employers focus not just on hiring, but on how they can train and develop professionals with the skills needed for these emerging and in-demand roles,” Moyes says.

She adds: “In the future, I think we’ll see employers increasingly act as educators – ‘training to hire’ individuals into green jobs through onboarding programs, apprenticeships, and academies, as well as ‘training to promote’ employees through upskilling initiatives that can help them transition into green roles.”