ESG jobs witness a huge surge in India

According to the study conducted by employment website ‘Indeed’ there has been a remarkable surge in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) jobs over the last three years in India on its platform. The ESG sector saw a growth of 223 per cent in India between April 2019 to April 2023.

The company also said that despite the massive increase in last three years, a decline of 22 per cent was seen last year in the ESG sector. This indicated that while sustainability formed a key part of organisational goals due to the pandemic, it may have cooled down in the last one year, indicating a stabilisation of ESG jobs, following the post-covid growth.

The most significant increase in job posting on the Indeed’s platform came between April 2021 and April 2022, growing by 109 per cent.

The company pooled this data from job posting and job searches on its platform between 2019 and 2023, with keywords such as “ESG”, “Environmental Social Governance” or “Sustainability”.

The demand from jobseekers also saw the highest growth in last three years. Job searches for sustainability roles increased by 31 per cent between April 2022 and 2023.

The increase over the past three years showcase the remarkable shift as companies increasingly prioritise sustainability efforts. An increasing number of organisations are also pledging to take action on climate, social and other issues by following Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards.

The firms are concerned about the climate change and the urgent need to build more diverse and inclusive workforces.

A similar trend was seen in other South East Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, which saw an increase of 146 per cent and 139 per cent respectively in ESG job postings, in last three years.

Similar to India, both countries also saw a decline in last one year by 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 last three years.

The rise in ESG jobs on Indeed’s platform reflects the expanding awareness and commitment of Indian businesses to create a greener and more socially responsible future. The notable shift in the way companies approach their operations recognise that environmental and social sustainability is key to long-term success.