A growing number of Generation Z workers in the UK and US are prioritising climate action in their careers, with many seeking employers that align with their environmental values. According to a 2021 survey by health insurance company Bupa, 64% of 18-to-22-year-olds in the UK consider it important for employers to act on environmental issues, and 59% would stay longer with responsible employers.
Lillian Zhou, a 26-year-old communications professional at the solar energy non-profit GRID Alternatives, says she combats eco-anxiety through her work. 'Knowing that I am working for an environmentally and socially oriented organisation, that I am working for something bigger than a paycheque – this is what brings me a sense of purpose,' she explains. Zhou grew up in Michigan, where floods in 2014 made tap water unsafe for several counties on Lake Erie.
Susannah Costley-White, 22, is studying for a Master's degree in climate change at King's College London while interning at the climate charity Ashden. She is working on a campaign calling for 'sustainability to be embedded as a statutory feature in careers guidance in UK schools by 2025'. Costley-White notes a mismatch between future careers and the training provided to youth today.
Educational institutions are adapting to this demand. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the number of students in the sustainability certificate programme has mushroomed each year since 2011, according to Bethany Patten, senior associate director of the Sustainability Initiative at MIT Sloan School of Management. Sustainability has become one of the top industries where students want to work.
Employers are also taking note. A 2018 Deloitte survey found that 77% of Gen Z respondents said it was important to work at organisations whose values aligned with theirs. In Australia, young workers have left companies that are not doing enough to respond to climate change. This shift is driving demand for climate-related jobs and prompting calls for better careers guidance and training.
