The sustainability landscape is shifting at breakneck speed, and the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2025 confirms it: the green economy is at the heart of the global workforce transformation. For sustainability professionals and businesses alike, this is a wake-up call—and an extraordinary opportunity.
The WEF’s 2025 report, based on a survey of over 1,000 employers representing 14 million workers, analyses how global macrotrends and technological advancements will shape the job market until 2030. It identifies the green transition as a key driver of labour market transformation, alongside technological change, geoeconomic fragmentation, economic uncertainty, and demographic shifts. Climate change mitigation ranks as the third most transformative trend, with nearly half of employers expecting to increase efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
The Growing Demand for Green Skills
The report also highlights the soaring demand for green skills and sustainability jobs. Roles like renewable energy engineers, environmental engineers, and electric and autonomous vehicle specialists are among the fastest-growing. Additionally, environmental stewardship has entered the top 10 fastest-growing skills globally. However, demand for green skills continues to outpace supply, with job postings requiring green expertise rising by nearly 22% between 2022 and 2023. This signals an urgent need for reskilling and upskilling strategies to equip the workforce for a net-zero future.
Flexible and Remote Work: Changing the Game
Flexible and remote work also take centre stage in the report, showcasing their transformative potential for the labour market. Offering remote and hybrid work opportunities is seen as a promising strategy to increase talent availability by 43% of employers globally. Employers and employees are increasingly aligned on the importance of workplace flexibility, with remote work ranked among the top strategies for talent availability and retention.
The Rise of Freelancing and Skills-Based Hiring
The report also touches on the rise of freelancing and the gig economy through its discussion of skills-based hiring and tapping into diverse talent pools. Nearly half of employers (47%) now prioritise accessing diverse talent, with an increasing focus on removing degree requirements and conducting skills-first hiring. These trends align closely with the nature of project-based freelance work and suggest a growing shift towards a more flexible and skills-driven workforce.
How The Now Work Can Help
At The Now Work, we see these trends play out daily. With a network of over 2,000 sustainability experts spanning disciplines such as strategy, circularity, technical innovation, and impact communication, we help organisations access precisely the talent they need, when they need it. Our freelancers—from former Chief Sustainability Officers to creative visionaries and reporting specialists—bring a wealth of experience and insights that drive tangible results. Whether you’re building a roadmap to net zero, launching a regenerative business model, or communicating your impact, having the right people on your team is transformative.
Future-Proofing Your Career and Business
For individuals working in sustainability, the WEF’s report underscores the importance of future-proofing your career by embracing new skills and ways of working. The green economy’s growth creates immense opportunities, but it also demands adaptability and continuous learning. Joining a flexible talent platform like The Now Work positions you at the forefront of this transformation, connecting you with exciting projects and enabling you to work with purpose on your own terms.
Building the New World
For businesses, the message is clear: to thrive in the future of work, you need to rethink how you approach sustainability challenges. Traditional hiring models often fall short when speed, diversity, and expertise are critical. By partnering with us, you can build bespoke teams of world-class sustainability experts, leveraging their collective knowledge to solve your toughest challenges while driving innovation.
At The Now Work, we believe the future of work and the future of sustainability are inextricably linked. To create a better world, we need better systems—systems that are flexible, inclusive, and designed for impact. The WEF’s Future of Jobs Report is a powerful reminder that the time to act is now.
Whether you’re a sustainability leader seeking expert talent or a professional looking to shape your career in the green economy, we can help. Get in touch at hello@thenowwork.com
