Ireland’s workforce is getting greener. According to the SOLAS Quarterly Skills Bulletin which measures the demand for green skills in the Irish labour market, three out of four jobs in Ireland (75%) require some level of green skills.

The 2024 report, compiled by the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) in SOLAS, found that approximately 400,000 people (or 14%) are in a high level of green employment. Agriculture accounted for 120,000 of these roles, while 280,000 people are in non-agricultural roles.

As expected, all employment in the agriculture sector is green. The next largest share of green jobs is found in science and engineering, followed by business and sales roles. Green skills are particularly prevalent in high skilled occupations in industry, construction, and professional activities where occupations such as engineers, environmental professionals, organisational analysts, manufacturing mangers, and restaurant managers tend to be male and hold a third level qualification. However, green skills are evolving across all sectors, including education and business, with green skills increasingly being asked for in online job adverts.

Green employment is growing faster than national employment

According to Joan McNaboe, Research Manager of the SLMRU,

Green employment has grown at a far higher rate than the national average which means that demand for green skills is likely to continue to increase.

Nearly three quarters of all green skills mentioned in online job adverts are classified as environmental engineering skills. Other skills mentioned include a range of science related skills and corporate social responsibility. These green skills are in demand across a variety of occupations ranging from engineering to business, education and IT.

Growth in non-agriculture green employment

Green employment is growing notably in non-agriculture sectors. Those in non-agricultural green employment grew at an annual rate of 6.4% (or 75,000 additional persons employed) over the past five years. The highest annual growth rate was in the professional activities and industry sectors. Jobs in ICT and professional activities were the fastest growing areas. Reflecting the national employment pattern, green jobs are mostly located in the Mid-East, Dublin, and South-West regions.

Planning for greener education and training

Although green skills are currently dominant in high skilled occupations (69% of people in non-agricultural green employment hold a third level qualification compared to 54% for national employment), green skills are evolving across a wide range of sectors and roles. McNaboe adds that

Green skills are constantly evolving, which means the green intensity of roles will continue to change in the coming years. As such, further education and training provision will also need to keep pace to ensure Ireland is meeting its targets for the green skills agenda.

For FET (Further Education and Training) courses, CEO of SOLAS, Andrew Brownlee says that their ambition 

for the future of FET is that we become a leader in sustainability and that every FET learner is equipped with the skills to become agents of change in climate action. This will ensure that that we have a resilient, dynamic and skilled workforce.