Sustainability Manager is the fastest-growing job in the UK

By Anders Lorenzen

Research carried out by LinkedIn, the global professional networking, social media and job board platform, has revealed the upsurge in demand for sustainability professionals.

Looking at the biggest trends in the job market leading into 2024, the platform has found that in a top 25 list of the fastest-growing jobs in the UK, Sustainability Manager topped that list.

Why the surge?

In line with tightened legislation around sustainability targets across the world, especially in the richest economies, a vast array of sustainability accounting jobs has emerged.  Companies need to meet climate targets which cover net-zero as well as other environmental targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the circular economy and broad water and land footprints. Accordingly, companies are increasingly being scrutinised for their sustainability impact and also facing demands that they have strategies developed in this area.   

Changing the ethos

Another narrative contributing to the rise in demand for sustainability-focused jobs is, that taking climate and environmental action can no longer be isolated from the rest of the economy such as the emerging climate risks with regard to investments and company performance.  If a company is not running its business in an environmentally beneficial as well as sustainable manner, it will not be in business for much longer. And, that being so, sustainability should be front and centre of any business.  This is quickly becoming mainstream thinking.

What does a Sustainability Manager do?

According to LinkedIn, Sustainability Managers oversee environmental and sustainability strategies for a company or organisation, analysing, assessing and reporting on broad environmental as well as climate impacts. This requires the skills of Carbon Footprinting, Corporate Sustainability, and Life Cycles Assessments.

Skilling up

Through LinkedIn’s learning platform, there’s a host of courses one can take in skilling up on sustainability at various levels.