A poll conducted this fall showed that one in two people in Germany between the ages of 14 and 29 is concerned about climate problems. Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement have contributed to the growing importance of environmental issues in public perception. DW tried to find out if this affects the choice of profession and the situation in the labor market.
Let’s say right away: large-scale studies on this topic have not yet been carried out in Germany. Therefore, scientists cannot draw general conclusions about the impact of the growth of environmental awareness on the interest in “green” professions. As DW explained at the German Institute of Economics, right now they are trying to clearly define which professions should be attributed to them in order to conduct a scientific analysis. After all, connection with nature is only one of the criteria. Regenerative energy, energy-saving technologies, electric mobility, “green” banking, educational projects, tourism – the list of areas related to the environment is extensive. There is no single picture yet, but some aspects are already indicative of changes.
Interest in Green Professions in Germany
For example, the German Institute of Economics (IW) has studied the popularity of green occupations among those seeking vocational training and secondary vocational education. The scientists took as a basis the professions that the Ministry of Agriculture of the Federal Republic of Germany ranks among the “green” ones. They mainly relate to the agricultural sector. The results showed that demand for most of them increased in 2020. Although in general in Germany interest in vocational training has fallen due to the pandemic, this problem affected seven “green” specialties out of 21. The popularity of two professions has especially fallen: a dairy technologist and a poultry livestock technician. The probable reason for this, IW scientists believe, is criticism of the consumption of animal products.
Of all the green jobs, vocational school students in Germany dream of becoming gardeners the most.
At the same time, there are significantly more of those who want to be a horse breeder. The number of those wishing to master the profession of a huntsman has also grown. But the most popular green profession is landscaping. Last year, more than 4,000 contracts were concluded on vocational training on it. In addition, the interest in the specialties “vegetable growing”, “gardening”, “landscape construction” has increased. However, scientists do not undertake to speak exclusively about the influence of the “Greta effect”. As one of the authors of the study, Filiz Koneberg, explains to DW, the growth in the attractiveness of these professions can be due to both a personal interest in nature and the desire to work in the fresh air, as well as attractive working conditions and a good situation with client orders.
Green majors in German universities
More complex professions related to “green” technologies are mastered in Germany within the framework of higher education. There are hundreds of training programs. The Hochschhulkompas.de portal offers more than 600 specialties in German universities for the keyword “Umwelt” (environment) alone.
Munich Technical University is renowned for its innovative culture
For example, at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) you can study sustainable resource management (Sustainable Resource Management), environmental engineering (Umweltingenieurwesen), agricultural science (Agrarsystemwissenschaften). And over the past few semesters, this Bavarian university has noticed an increase in the popularity of such specialties. The number of applications for the programs “Sustainable Resource Management” and “Environmental Engineering” has even more than doubled, the press service of TUM emphasizes in response to DW’s request. Now the university plans to expand the list of “green” specialties. He has already created a new bachelor’s program in Sustainable Management and Technology. And soon there will be a master’s program Sustainable Energies and Entrepreneurship in the Global South.
In addition, at TUM, sustainable development is included in the curriculum of all specialties. There are also interdisciplinary environmental workshops open to everyone. In the Idea Lab, students can develop their sustainable living project and apply it on campus.
Green Jobs in Germany and Labor Market Prospects
Have employers started looking for workers in green areas more often? On the whole, it is difficult to judge the growth of vacancies related to the environment. They are posted by firms themselves on their websites and online job exchanges. In addition to the specialized green portals Greenjobs.de, Jobverde.de, or Gruener-stellenmarkt.de, many offers can be found on the major sites Stepstone.de or Indeed.de. Indeed.de, for example, does not have a separate category for such job offers. However, at the request of DW, the portal staff analyzed the number of vacancies in the description of which “green” concepts are used. And as it turns out, there have been a lot more keyword ads over the past three years. With the word “hydrogen”, for example, twice, “electromobility” and “renewable energy” – almost 50 percent, and “environmental protection” – by a third, the press service notes.
The need for IT specialists in the German labor market continues to grow
In the development of green technologies and products in Germany, great importance is attached to digitalization. And as another study by the German Institute of Economics has shown, in the next five years, in connection with the growing requirements for energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, German enterprises will first of all need IT specialists. A third of the firms surveyed indicated that they plan to increase the number of such employees. In second place in terms of demand will be environmental engineers, in third place – specialists in the field of MINT (natural sciences and mathematics). Especially in large companies, the need for such personnel will grow.
And if we look at a longer perspective, then by 2030 IT specialists will make up one fifth of all the specialists needed to achieve the environmental goals set by Germany. This was shown by a study initiated by the Union 90 / Greens. To achieve climate neutrality in the economy, transport, construction and energy production at the end of this decade, more than 400 thousand specialists will be needed. More than half of them are workers with secondary education.
The German Institute for Vocational Education BIBB is already taking this into account. So, since the summer of 2021, climate protection and sustainable development have become a mandatory component of training programs on the dual system for all training professions without exception. This allows students to acquire modern and future-oriented knowledge and skills, emphasize at BIBB.
See also:
.