SOCIAL REPORT

SOCIALREPORT

By Angie Knowles, ECO Canada

Who is Canada’s typical sustainability professional? Sustainability is the new reality for many industries in Canada. Over 50,000 professionals work in environmental, economic, or social sustainability and 18% of Canadian organizations have at least one sustainability worker on staff. The total number of environmental professionals nationwide has grown from 682,000 in 2010 to over 730,000 in 2013.

Sustainability professionals will need to know not only about existing regulations, but also how to stay up-to-date when these regulations change.

6 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Recognizing the potential of Canada’s sustainability sector, Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) Canada has conducted ongoing environmental labour market research, examining everything from typical employers and career paths to average salaries and key competencies. One of our most recent reports, Careers in Sustainability: Current Job Trends and Future Growth, has helped paint an intriguing portrait of the Canadian sustainability workforce. Here’s how a “typical” sustainability professional fits in the picture. WHO ARE THE TOP EMPLOYERS? Canada’s typical sustainability professional works for governments, research institutions, or not-for-profit organizations. In fact, these three types of employers accounted for an impressive 51% of the sustainability workforce. Employers rely on their sustainability staff to manage risk, increase returns on capital, and drive business growth. More than half of the organizations have made sustainability an integral part of their business by incorporating sustainability teams across multiple departments or business units.