The green economy is booming. Now it's time for employer brands to play their part.

The green economy is booming. Now it’s time for employer brands to play their part.

London’s green economy is picking up serious pace. According to LinkedIn data reported by the Evening Standard, demand for green jobs in the capital has grown by 46% in the past year alone, with roles spanning everything from low-carbon construction and transport to biodiversity and waste management. But while demand soars, the talent pool isn’t keeping up and that gap poses a real threat to the capital’s climate ambitions.

It’s a promising picture, but also a familiar one. High demand. Not enough skilled people. It’s something we’re constantly talking to our clients about, no matter the industry. In this case, the stakes are even higher: progress depends on having the right people to deliver it.

As employer brand specialists, we spend a lot of time focused on purpose, on the link between people, business and societal impact. Nowhere is that conversation more urgent, or more meaningful, than in the race to build a more sustainable economy.

A defining moment for employer brands

For businesses making the green transition, the ability to attract, retain and grow sustainability talent is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s business-critical.

But doing that well takes careful consideration. This is about showing what your sustainability ambitions mean for people, at every stage of the candidate and employee journey. Why is your organisation the right place for them to do the most meaningful work of their careers?

It’s not just green jobs we need to think about, it’s green skills. These are increasingly in demand across sectors you might not traditionally associate with sustainability, from finance and legal to marketing and operations. Embedding green thinking in every function will be essential if businesses want to meet their goals and stay relevant in a shifting economy.

That means a few things:

Start with the inside story. The most compelling employer brands are built on truth. If your green strategy feels disconnected from the day-to-day experience of employees, you’ll struggle to attract people who genuinely care about impact. Work from the inside out.
Talk about skills, not just roles. So many green skills are transferable, but people don’t always realise they already have them. Be clear about what you’re looking for, what you’re willing to invest in, and what the learning journey might look like.
Be explicit about inclusion. The green economy won’t be sustainable unless it’s also equitable. Right now, access to opportunity isn’t where it needs to be. If we want to attract people into green careers, and retain them, we need to tackle the barriers head-on: from visibility and education to representation and progression. Inclusion is the foundation of long-term impact.

A shared agenda

This isn’t something employer brand teams can (or should) tackle alone. We work closely with our sister agency, Salterbaxter, whose sustainability experts are helping businesses think bigger, shifting the focus from siloed initiatives to organisation-wide transformation. This alignment between brand and sustainability strategy is where real credibility is built – and where we can unlock the kind of progress people actually want to be part of.

It’s also why collaboration between employer brand and sustainability teams is so vital. As strategies mature and expectations rise, it’s no longer enough to talk about values - we need to embed them at every level.

As Francesca Micallef, Director of Sustainability Advisory at Salterbaxter puts it:

“As sustainability becomes a core driver of business performance and reputation, the ability to embed green skills and continuous learning across all levels of an organisation is critical. From executives shaping strategy to teams driving day-to-day decisions, every employee has a role to play in delivering on sustainability goals and ultimately creating long-term success and unlocking value for the business.”

Final thought

London’s green economy is full of opportunity. But potential alone won’t get us where we need to go. To deliver real change, we need to position the green transition as a people-powered one. And that starts with stronger, more honest, more inclusive employer brands.

Authored by Vicki Shadbolt.