Alberta green jobs forecast to increase over next decade, but challenges remain

With a generation of workers set to retire and a growing green economy, Alberta's environmental workforce is forecast to grow significantly over the next decade — and not just in the energy sector.

But challenges, such as ongoing labour shortages and regulatory uncertainty, are likely to remain.

That's according to a recent report by the Environmental Careers Organization of Canada (ECO Canada), which projects Canada's workforce employed in environmental roles will grow nine per cent by 2033.

In Alberta, that translates to 83,050 openings for environmental jobs in that time frame. The labour demand is predicted to come from a growing industry (33,680 jobs) and retiring workers who need to be replaced (48,370 jobs).

Yogendra Chaudhry, vice-president of ECO Canada, says what's notable is the prospect of more environment-related jobs being created across all industries as awareness about sustainable practices grows.

"We are increasingly seeing that many jobs which are being posted have an element of environment roles and that's also increasing the number of environment-related jobs," said Chaudhry.

By 2033, the organization forecasts there will be 26,530 job openings for "core environmental workers."

Those are workers across all industries who require environmental-specific knowledge and skills for their role, opposed to people who work for environmental goods and services companies.

Janet Lane, senior fellow with the Canada West Foundation, says it's interesting to see a broader spectrum of jobs classified as environment-related — and it's a trend that will likely last since the next generation is increasingly interested in jobs associated with sustainability.

"Just as every job is a digital job, most jobs are going to have some kind of environmental thinking associated with them," said Lane.

"I think that is going to play into career choices and the way that the various sectors promote their sector towards young people."

Across Canada, the top occupations with demand for core environmental workers are projected to be:

• Administrative officers.
• Professional occupations in business management consulting.
• Civil engineers.

Challenges persist

Despite the projected growth, Chaudhry says some existing challenges will persist through the next decade.

He says labour shortages will likely still occur across the country, and he worries regulatory uncertainty will play a major role in Alberta.

"If workers are seeing uncertainty in the job market, we might start seeing people migrating out of Alberta for jobs where they have more stability," said Chaudhry.

Additionally, many workers set to retire are leaving mid- to senior-level positions and there's a lack of qualified workers to fill those jobs, he says.

Lane says that's a big concern for many companies nowadays, which dates back to decades ago when companies hollowed out middle management as a cost-cutting measure.

"We have a bit of a skills gap between the generation below and the generation that's retiring. And that is definitely causing a brain drain," said Lane.

Chaudhry says companies should consider implementing training, mentorship and transitioning workers in the meantime.

"That's where we need to see if there are more programs that could be brought in that could bridge those gaps," he said.

He says he'd like to see industry, government and academics work together to create accredited programs that better align with industry needs as they evolve.

For those who want to enter the environmental workforce, Lane suggests cross-training between two areas of specialty (accounting and environmental studies, for example) to be more attractive to employers.