The challenge of the green transition will be won by transforming organizations

The ecological transition is gathering pace with the growing interest of governments, consumers and investors. As the effects of climate change are increasingly felt, these various players are stepping up the pressure on companies to redouble their efforts. To stand out from their competitors in the years ahead, companies will need to understand the key drivers of this transition, but also to go beyond compliance with legal obligations and embark on a profound transformation in the way they approach work.

Nearly 6 out of 10 Fortune 500 companies have now adopted their own ambitious targets for achieving carbon neutrality. This is almost twice as many as in 2021, when only 36% of them did so. This is an improvement, but there's still a long way to go. Even more so as the gradual transition to a less carbon-intensive economy coincides with a talent shortage that is becoming more amplified with each passing year.

Talents who are increasingly looking for a company that is committed to the green transition and whose aim is not just about greenwashing. 60% of them want their employers to take clear and concrete steps to tackle the problems. By investing in human capital and highlighting their values and commitments, companies can gain an edge over their competitors.????????? ??????????????????????? ??????????? ?

Sustainable development is at the heart of corporate messages and political rhetoric, but what does it really mean for employees, and what skills will they need? That's where the challenge stands, and it's our responsibility as employers to find the right solutions and bring about a profound transformation within our organizations.

Employers and managers have a key role to play in this transition

In its Green Report, ManpowerGroup found that 62% of employees check a company's environmental reputation. It will therefore be vital to pursue convincing employees of the merits of the ecological transition, to support them and, of course, to be able to objectify it in order to achieve concrete results.

The use of data in this area will also be a major challenge; never before have companies had so much data on their staff and so many machine learning or artificial intelligence tools at their disposal. Companies that fail capitalizing on this to build a workforce ready for the green transition are missing out on a major opportunity for differentiation.

Finally, according to the World Economic Forum, 60% of the global workforce will need to upskill or retrain by 2027, while 94% of companies say they don't have the talent needed to leverage and implement their ESG plans. Companies will therefore play an essential role in anticipating these needs and training their employees to meet them.

Skills: the sinews of war

The majority of employers (70%) are already hiring green profiles, or plan to do so in the near future. According to our Green Report, hundreds of "green" professions and skills have already been identified, and had no equivalent until now. On a global scale, three quarters of employers (75%) report difficulties in finding the skills they need. According to recruitment managers, the Manufacturing & Production (36%), Operations & Logistics (31%) and IT (30%) sectors are most actively seeking green profiles. There are plenty of opportunities for all sectors, but they require the support of an entire ecosystem. With our strong local roots, I'm convinced that it's by working as closely as possible to the regions, with all the players in the training sector (OPCO, France Compétences...), but not only, that we'll be able to make a positive and significant impact.

The urgent need to work side by side with governments

By 2030, the ecological transition is expected to create up to 30 million jobs, and 55% of the business leaders surveyed for our report predict that investments in corporate ecological transition and ESG will create even more jobs over the next five years, even more than technological progress and the other major trends of the moment.

Against this backdrop, the governments of 30 countries attending COP28 signed a "Declaration for a Just and Equitable Transition", aimed at "creating the conditions for a just transition on an international scale", and detailing the fundamental principles they have set themselves for a just ecological transition in line with the decarbonization objectives agreed at the COP. Governments must work together with businesses, local authorities, schools, universities and other training institutes to create a flexible lifelong learning framework that will facilitate the reorientation and skills development of working people.

Employees remain our best assets for emerging victorious from the climate crisis, and companies have more than a central role to play. Efforts to overcome the global talent shortage in the quest for climate neutrality must be matched by a commitment to creating and maintaining a highly skilled, competent and flexible workforce and the associated desired outcomes. This is the only way to ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy will bring progress for society as a whole.