According to a study conducted by ICM research in conjunction with engineering and environmental organisation Royal Haskoning, more than half (53%) of businesses believe their need for 'green collar' employees will increase and 31% believe their workforce will need to increase by 6-10% due to environmental roles.
One in five organisations (19%) already have someone with 'green collar' responsibilities and 24% plan to make use of an external environmental service.
Thirty percent said the increase would be necessary to meet Government legislation compared to 21% who said it was due to customer pressure to be green.
Henry Rowe, a member of the Royal Haskoning board of management, said: "As the pressure mounts for British businesses to implement green strategies and services, the worry remains whether our current and future domestic skills market can service these demands."
Nonetheless one-quarter of employers do not have an environmental policy in place and, of that, one-quarter have no plans to implement one.
Employers increasingly recruit green staff
Growing pressure on employees to be more environmentally friendly will cause an increase in the recruitment of staff with green credentials.
