Solas’s report shows that green skills are required in nearly three-quarters of Irish jobs.
Green skills, which are attributes and talents that support a more sustainable society, are fast becoming a mainstay of the Irish workforce. More and more organisations are prioritising workplace initiatives that work towards global climate targets and a cleaner, greener, fairer world.
According to research conducted by Solas, Ireland’s state agency for further education and training, 75pc of employment within Ireland requires some degree of ability when it comes to green skills. The organisation released a report compiled by the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU), which measured the level of green employment in Ireland during the last quarter of 2024.
Approximately 400,000 people were found to be in green employment. Engineers, organisational analysts, professionals in agriculture and construction, environmental experts and manufacturers, were found to be in high need of green skills, with science and engineering accounting for the largest share of green employment.
Speaking about the report, Joan McNaboe, the research manager of the SLMRU, said: “This report highlights that green skills are impacting most jobs in Ireland to some degree, even those not typically associated with the climate action agenda. Green employment has grown at a far higher rate than the national average which means that demand for green skills is likely to continue to increase.
“Green skills are constantly evolving which means the green intensity of roles will continue to change in the coming years. As such, further education and training provision will also need to keep pace to ensure Ireland is meeting its targets for the green skills agenda.”
Green demographics
Solas’s report also made note of the demographics making up green employment in Ireland, with men accounting for 68pc and women for 31pc. Nearly 70pc were found to be in possession of a third-level education and when it came to age, the number of younger professionals in green employment were less than other national employment up until ages 35-44 and 45-54.
Of those in green employment, 81pc were native to Ireland. For both Irish and non-Irish citizens in green employment, 18pc were working in occupations with a 20pc or higher level of green intensity, representing 41,300 and 9,700 persons respectively.
Regionally, it was discovered that between 8pc and 11pc of employment in each region in Ireland was green, with 92,800 Dublin-based individuals accounting for a third of green employment in 2024. The south-west and mid-east regions combined accounted for a further 30pc of green employment, whereas the midland region had both the lowest numbers in green employment at 12,600 employees and also the lowest share of its total employment classified as being green at 8pc.
Green pervasiveness in adverts
Solas’s research indicates that there is a green pervasiveness in online job advertisements, as nearly 1.2pc of advertised roles in Ireland mentioned at least one green-related skill in 2023 and 2024. This brings Ireland in line with the EU average of 1.3pc and marks an increase when compared to Ireland’s previous figure of just 0.6pc in 2020.
Advertisements with a higher-than-average green pervasiveness were primarily in engineering occupations, in positions such as electrical engineering, environmental engineering and mechanical engineering among others. In fact, according to Solas, throughout 2023 and 2024 nearly three-quarters of all green skills mentioned in online job adverts were classified as environmental engineering skills.
According to the report, green employment grew at a faster rate than non-green employment in Ireland in recent years. “Although we cannot determine whether green roles are driving this growth, it does suggest that demand for green skills is likely to be growing,” wrote the agency.
Also commenting on the report, Andrew Brownlee, CEO of Solas said: “We are delighted to see the publication of this report as it enhances our understanding of the jobs and sectors that are currently engaged in green-related activities in Ireland. It will provide a valuable resource in the future planning of further education and training provision ensuring that we cater to the green skills that will be needed by the population in the coming years.”
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