Download - Careers in Sustainability ECO Canada 2013
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Careers inSustainability
Current Job Trends
and Future Growth
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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
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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
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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.
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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%)
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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
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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
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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
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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%
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.