Data shows growth in demand for global green expertise

Average 3.6% annual pay rise for sustainability professionals

Prospects and prosperity for sustainability and environmental practitioners are generally improving when viewed on a global basis, in spite of economic turbulence. The latest careers and salary benchmark report produced by Environment Analyst and international recruitment specialist Allen & York concludes that sustainability skills are currently in strong demand in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region – and this is reflected in rising salary trends in these areas.

The report is based on 17,000 recent candidate records on the books Allen & York, as well as 2,600 responses to an online survey which ran from July to September this summer. Last week, Environment Analyst reported on results demonstrating the ongoing impact of economic downturn on the UK green jobs sector (Environment Analyst, 14-Oct-10).

In contrast to the UK and elsewhere in Europe - where sustainability/environmental teams are more likely to be contracting than growing in the wake of recession - the general trend globally is for an increase in the number of sustainability staff. Overall, around a third of the global survey respondents work for organisations that have expanded the number of sustainability personnel they employ over the last twelve months, with the proportion rising to almost 50% in Central & South America and Central & South East Asia.

Those based in Central & South America were also most likely to have seen an increase in their salary over the last year, with 63% receiving a pay increase compared to 11% who saw a drop in their annual earnings. Eastern Europeans were least likely to have been awarded a pay rise, with only 36% noting a rise in their pay packets.

Overall, 55% of global survey participants (excluding UK respondents) were awarded a pay rise in the last twelve months, including those moving to a new job or receiving a promotion. The average pay increase achieved was 3.6% over the previous year, with those based in Latin America achieving an average of more than double this figure. Above-norm pay increases were also evident in Central & SE Asia and Australasia.

The average salary for a global sustainability professional, according to the online survey, is €51,200 (US$65,400) – but this figure varies dramatically from region to region. The highest earners in the sector are found in North America, where the average pay is around double that of Eastern Europe, whose sustainability staff languish at the bottom end of the scale.

The vast majority of global survey participants (68%) felt that job security across the sustainability sector as a whole was similarly secure or better than a year ago, while less than a third (32%) felt that it had worsened.

• 2010 Sustainability Professionals Careers and Salary Benchmark Report is a 73 page report containing more than 90 charts and tables enabling organisations to accurately benchmark their pay scales, pay rises, bonus payments and benefits packages against their peers. The full report is available to download, £371+VAT (£278+VAT for EA Market Intelligence Service Subscribers) - see http://environment-analyst.com/survey

• Globalisation and specialist roles help drive green jobs out of recession is a free feature article available for download looking at some of the trends identified in the full report - see http://www.environment-analyst.com/sample

• EA and A&Y press release (global)
• FREE survey report and research preview
• Careers & Salary Benchmark full study