With the growing dividend of our country’s green economy, which is on the trajectory towards $1 trillion by 2030, and $15 trillion by 2070; scaling green transformation is becoming a key priority for India Inc. On one hand the sector is aggressively investing into building green tech capabilities and streamlining green energy deployment. On the other arena, there is a major push towards building a robust workforce pipeline, as the sector continues to grapple with the challenges of a skilled resource pool. India’s green sector is expected to add close to 7.29 million green jobs by FY28 and about 35 million new jobs by 2047.
Incidentally, the new estimated employment outlook for the sector, now also precedes the projections called out in 2024 – which indicated a 15-20% Y-O-Y demand increase for the next 10 years. Organizations have also adopted a shift in their workforce strategy to strengthen the green talent pipeline – prioritizing skill based hiring and practical green competencies over traditional qualifications, forging partnerships with academia to equip youth with future sustainability skills and investing into inclusive hiring/re-skilling initiatives.
From a sectoral standpoint, majority of the new job creation is set to be fueled by industries like Renewable Energy, Waste Management, Electric Vehicles, Sustainable Textiles, and Green Construction; both across urban and peri-urban areas. While, metros like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi continue to be sunshine locations for aspirants eyeing green jobs, there is a definitive spark across Tier II / III locations like Jaipur, Indore, Visakhapatnam, Indore, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, which are steadily emerging as crucial hubs. The resurgence across industries like logistics, warehousing and sustainable agriculture is influencing the positive momentum across Tier II/III locations, which are already projected to host 35%-40% of the 7.29 million jobs by FY28.
Green job roles are also transcending beyond traditional sectors and the demand momentum for profiles like ESG analytics, green tech, and climate data analysts has already increased significantly as compared to last year, and is now projected towards a 20-30% annual y-o-y increase. Additionally, industry sentiments also indicate a dominance for hybrid profiles Demand for most roles to surge 4–6x higher, and ESG analysts to increase up to 13-20X higherthat blend sustainability expertise with digital proficiency. Green tech is additionally being fueled by innovations like precision farming, smart irrigation, and AI-driven climate modeling—while blockchain traceability is unlocking new roles in sustainable agriculture and clean tech. In fact, professionals skilled in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), remote monitoring systems and lifecycle assessment tools are in explicit demand and will continue to be in vogue in the coming years.
Interestingly, not only green jobs are on the rise, but salary Gemini_Generated_Image_mfq644mfq644mfq6range across profiles in the sector have also recorded an average increase of 20.3% over the past 1-2 years. In the coming years, salaries in Tier I can range up to 50% higher than Tier II, also influenced by cost of living across these regions.
While on one hand, green jobs are a promising proposition, the sector also faces challenges beyond talent availability, especially with regard to gender parities. Currently women for just 11–12% of green jobs in India, primarily owing to unequal access to technical education, cultural constraints, and workplace safety challenges. However, forward-looking organizations are adopting inclusive hiring practices, investing in women-focused skill development initiatives, and collaborating with training partners to foster a more diverse and equitable green talent pipeline. And, it’s a step in the right direction, which is expected to improve parity by 12%-15% over the course of the next 5-6 years.