Why ESG Careers Are Growing Faster Than Ever

ESG is no longer confined to corporate sustainability teams. As businesses respond to climate risks, changing regulations, investor expectations, and growing pressure to operate responsibly, sustainability is becoming part of decisions across finance, technology, strategy, and operations. For you, that shift could mean a much broader range of career opportunities than the traditional sustainability job title suggests.  

Demand for green talent has grown 8%, compared with 4% growth in the supply of green skills over the past two years. (Source: LinkedIn) 

For you, this creates an important question: what does the growth of ESG mean for your career, and what skills will help you take advantage of it? 

Key Takeaways 

• Demand for green talent is outpacing supply: Green hiring has grown 8%, compared with 4% growth in green skills.  
• Green skills can strengthen your position in the job market: Professionals with green skills have a 46.6% higher hiring rate than the overall workforce.  
• ESG opportunities extend beyond traditional sustainability roles: Workers with green skills in non-green jobs made up 51% of green hires.  
• Businesses increasingly need multidisciplinary sustainability professionals: Employers are looking for a combination of business, technical, regulatory, analytical, and communication capabilities.  
• The skills you develop alongside sustainability knowledge matter: Analytical thinking and environmental stewardship are among the capabilities highlighted by employers for the changing workplace.  

Why Are ESG Careers Growing?

ESG is becoming part of how organizations approach long-term business decisions. 

Companies are dealing with climate-related risks, changing reporting requirements, supply chain pressures, resource efficiency, responsible investment, and growing expectations from stakeholders. This means sustainability is increasingly connected to areas that may previously have operated separately. 

The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies climate-change mitigation as the third-most transformative trend expected to affect businesses through 2030. Climate-change adaptation ranks sixth, with 47% and 41% of employers respectively expecting these trends to transform their businesses. (Source: World Economic Forum) 

For you, that means ESG is not necessarily a career confined to a sustainability department. As sustainability becomes part of broader business decisions, the people working on those decisions also need relevant ESG knowledge. 

ESG Careers Across Different Roles 

One of the most useful things to understand about an ESG career is that you do not necessarily need a job title containing the words "ESG" or "sustainability." 

For the first time, workers with green skills in non-green jobs made up 51% of green hires. (Source: LinkedIn) 

This can create opportunities across: 

• Finance and investment  
• Business and consulting  
• Data and analytics  
• Supply chain and procurement  
• Operations  
• Risk management  
• Technology  
• Corporate strategy  

For example, you could apply sustainability knowledge within finance, use data skills to support ESG reporting, or work on sustainable procurement within a supply chain team. 

If you are exploring broader business pathways, career opportunities after studying international business can show how a business foundation can lead into different professional directions. 

Where Are ESG Skills Becoming Relevant? 

The growing relevance of sustainability can be seen across industries rather than in one specific sector. 

Green skills are increasingly connected to areas such as financial services, technology, retail, and supply chains. This reflects a wider shift in which organizations are considering sustainability alongside efficiency, resilience, risk, and long-term growth. 

Finance is a particularly relevant example. As sustainability becomes part of investment and financial decision-making, professionals may need to understand both financial principles and sustainability considerations. Sustainable investing careers offer one example of how these areas can overlap. 

Similarly, data is becoming increasingly important to sustainability work. ESG reporting and sustainability measurement depend on organizations being able to collect, interpret, and communicate information effectively. This is where analytical skills can complement sustainability knowledge. 

What Skills Do ESG Employers Want? 

If you are considering an ESG career, learning about sustainability is only one part of the preparation. 

Today's sustainability professionals need to understand how sustainability connects with business and how to turn ideas into practical action. 

Research involving 46 Chief Sustainability Officers found that the highest-priority areas for sustainability teams to learn included business case development, financial reporting principles, change management, and stakeholder engagement. (Source: Deloitte) 

This points to a broader skill set: 

Sustainability Knowledge 

You need to understand environmental and social challenges and how organizations respond to them. 

Business and Strategic Thinking 

ESG decisions need to work within real business environments. Understanding strategy, finance, operations, and organizational priorities can help you connect sustainability goals with business outcomes. 

Data and Analytical Skills 

ESG increasingly involves measurement, reporting, risk assessment, and performance analysis. 

Analytical thinking is considered a core skill by 69% of employers, while environmental stewardship is identified by 20% as a core skill for the workforce. (Source: World Economic Forum) 

Communication and Stakeholder Management 

Sustainability initiatives involve different groups across and outside an organization. You may need to explain complex issues clearly, build support, and work across functions. 

Adaptability 

Sustainability regulations, technologies, business priorities, and expectations continue to change. Being able to keep learning is therefore part of becoming career ready. 

How Can You Prepare for an ESG Career? 

There is no single route into ESG. 

You could build relevant experience through internships, sustainability projects, business studies, professional certifications, data analysis, or postgraduate education. The right combination depends on your current background and the role you want to pursue. 

A sustainability management degree can provide a structured way to bring several of these areas together. Rather than focusing only on environmental issues, it can help you understand how sustainability connects with organizational strategy, responsible business, and decision-making. 

If you are still exploring where this knowledge could take you, career options with a sustainability degree can help you consider the range of directions available. 

Why Sustainability Management Degree Can Support Your ESG Career

If you want to build a career around ESG, you may need to understand more than individual sustainability issues. You also need to understand how organizations make decisions and how sustainability can be integrated into those decisions. 

A sustainability management education can help you build knowledge across areas such as sustainable business, ESG, environmental management, stakeholder engagement, reporting, and organizational strategy. 

It can also give you a foundation for combining sustainability with another area of interest. For example, if you are interested in data-driven decision-making, the relationship between data science and sustainability management illustrates how technical and sustainability capabilities can work together. 

If your interests are more focused on leadership and responsible organizational change, ethical leadership and sustainability provides another perspective on the skills involved. 

Additional learning opportunities can complement your academic and professional development. Schiller's partnership with UNITAR provides students with access to UNITAR learning and certifications, offering an opportunity to develop knowledge in areas related to global sustainability and development. 

Building Your ESG Career with Schiller 

As ESG continues to become part of business strategy, organizations need professionals who can connect sustainability knowledge with practical business decisions. Schiller International University's MS in Sustainability Management provides a postgraduate pathway for developing this understanding, with a focus on sustainability and its connection to organizational decision-making. 

The program can provide a structured academic foundation for building the knowledge and capabilities relevant to the evolving sustainability landscape, helping you understand how environmental and social considerations can be integrated into business and organizational practices. 

Preparing for the Future of ESG Careers 

The ESG landscape will continue to evolve as sustainability becomes increasingly connected to how organizations operate, manage risk, allocate resources, and plan for the future. For you, preparing for this shift means developing capabilities that go beyond sustainability knowledge alone, including business understanding, analytical thinking, communication, and the ability to translate sustainability challenges into practical decisions. 

Interested in building your career in ESG? Explore Schiller's Master in Sustainability Management to learn how sustainability, business, and organizational decision-making come together. 

FAQs 

Q1: Are ESG careers growing? 

Yes. Demand for green talent grew 8%, compared with 4% growth in the supply of green skills over the past two years.  

Q2: What jobs can you get with ESG skills? 

You can apply ESG and sustainability skills to roles such as ESG analyst, sustainability consultant, sustainability manager, ESG reporting specialist, sustainable investment analyst, climate risk analyst, and sustainability-focused business roles. 

Q3: Do ESG careers only exist in sustainability departments? 

No. Workers with green skills in non-green jobs accounted for 51% of green hires. This means sustainability skills can increasingly complement careers in finance, technology, analytics, supply chain, operations, and other functions.  

Q4: What skills do you need for an ESG career? 

You can benefit from sustainability knowledge, analytical thinking, business understanding, ESG reporting, communication, stakeholder management, problem-solving, and adaptability. Analytical thinking is considered a core skill by 69% of employers.  

Q5: Is a sustainability management degree useful for an ESG career? 

A sustainability management degree can give you structured knowledge across sustainability, business, strategy, and organizational decision-making. You should also consider how the program's curriculum, practical experience, and career opportunities align with the specific ESG path you want to pursue. 

Q6: Can you move into ESG from another business field? 

Yes. ESG skills are increasingly relevant across business functions, so a background in finance, business, analytics, operations, supply chain, or consulting can provide a foundation that you can complement with sustainability knowledge.