The ecological transition will shake up the job market. In France alone, certain sectors will lose up to 250,000 jobs by 2030. While in strategic sectors, 400,000 others will be created.
What are the jobs of tomorrow? For the knowledge, Talents For The Planet, a large exhibition dedicated entirely to jobs and training in the ecological and societal transition, met in Paris last week. There is in fact a double urgency: to accelerate the transition and recruit the necessary staff which are currently sorely lacking in many sectors.
“ Each city, each community of municipalities is obliged to engage on questions of ecological transition. They need experts and people capable of making the link with the various already existing services. », explains Romain Debref, lecturer in economics within the environment and ecological transition study course at the University of Reims, Champagne-Ardenne. “ As for the private sector, there is strong demand for the energy transition, everything related to bioenergy production, agrivoltaics, photovoltaics, and the production of biofuels. Construction too, with strong demand in energy renovation and the creation of biomaterials or agro-materials. For ecological transition issues, we have more and more requests, both from students, but also from recruiters”.
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Professional retraining towards transition professions
More and more young people are therefore embarking on specific studies to find future work in the ecological transition. But there are also older workers who decide to change jobs to get their hands dirty. “ I left my previous job in IT consulting to try to reorient myself towards a career more engaged in the ecological transition », says Owen, 38, all smiles in front of a poster on which was written “ bye bye bullshit-job “. “ Over time, we tell ourselves that as long as we spend most of our days at work, we want it to have a little meaning. And I want to feel like what I do is important and has an impact. And so, I came here to look for a job. “.
There are no official figures yet to quantify these professional reconversions in favor of the climate. Although the phenomenon is growing, as evidenced by Victorine Minvielle, member of Jobs That Make Sense (“ meaningful jobs “). This website lists job offers in the ecological transition as well as training.
“ We have 250,000 unique visits per month on the platform », Reports the partnerships manager. “ Our core target is people between 25 and 45 years old. And there, in the living room, we have a bit of all profiles: retraining, people who have returned to study after 20 years of career. It’s really great to see more and more people asking questions about “what do I do in the morning? And what are my true values that I want to put forward in my life professional ?” It’s nice and we need it for the transition “.
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Tomorrow, professions that do not yet exist today
All professionals in the sector agree on one point: the climate challenge will require new skills. For Romain Debref of the University of Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, “ Above all, we must encourage openness and interdisciplinarity. You need people capable of making the mayonnaise rise. And often, it’s on slightly original things that it works. “. Because in the years to come, it is a safe bet that we will see the emergence of new professions that are still unknown today.