Employers Look To Fill More ‘Green Jobs,’ And Quickly

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It’s a busy week in the streets of New York, with Climate Week events, summits, panels and even concerts headlined by famous pop stars. With all this attention on the climate, we’re talking about green jobs in today’s newsletter.

Green jobs, as defined by LinkedIn, are positions that have sustainability at their center and cannot be done without some knowledge of skills directly related to fighting climate change.

With the rapid threat of climate change becoming a more present reality (just look at the strengthening hurricanes and higher temperatures), green jobs are becoming essential beyond just the energy and policy sectors. Sustainability leaders in all industries—including finance, technology and manufacturing—are just as important

Not only that, job seekers with “green” skills are in demand: LinkedIn found that in order to meet goals of curbing climate change by 2050, the talent pool for green jobs has to double. And there is already a gap: While green jobs increased by 11.6% in the last year, the number of candidates only increased by 5.6%.

Green jobs could be a good option for those looking to get hired in a tough labor market. Job seekers with green skills see a hiring rate that is 54.6% higher than the rest of the workforce, according to the study from LinkedIn.

If you’re looking for inspiration as to where a green job could lead you, or different ways to work in sustainability outside of a climate-focused company, Forbes released its inaugural list of sustainability leaders on Thursday. Take a look at the list of finalists, which includes university professors, public servants establishing policy, nonprofit leaders, and founders and executives at national companies ranging from retailers to clean energy.

P.S. Northern states like Washington, Montana and Michigan may be able to see the Northern Lights on Tuesday or Wednesday night.

Happy reading, and hope you have a lovely week!

WORK SMARTER

Practical insights and advice from Forbes staff and contributors to help you succeed in your job, accelerate your career and lead smarter

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SPOTLIGHT: AI-POWERED JOB INTERVIEW STARTUP RAISES MILLIONS

Mercor’s AI interviewer has vetted 300,000 job candidates in less than two years. Last week, the San Francisco-based startup announced it had raised $32 million in a funding round led by Benchmark Ventures, valuing the company at $250 million.

Have you ever had to do an AI video interview as part of your job application? With thousands of candidates applying for various positions, many firms have implemented one-sided video interviews during the first round of applications to narrow down the candidates it selects for interviews with real people.

Mercor does things a bit differently. The startup works as both an interview processor and talent marketplace, matching candidates to employers with listings currently posted on their site (though the company would not name any).

The process works like this: After uploading their résumé and doing a 20-minute video interview with Mercor’s AI, candidates are matched with open roles available on the company’s marketplace. The interview, which consists of both experience questions and a relevant case study, can sometimes be followed-up by another AI conversation.

“It felt so deeply wrong that hiring and recruiting processes arbitrarily tossed out half of the applicants based on résumé, or not having prestigious work experience, or certain types of education history,” cofounder Surya Midha told Forbes’ Alex Konrad, who covered the funding announcement. “Building a more meritocratic way to hire is the largest lever on people’s overall quality of life.”

Mercor works mostly with India-based talent, though its 21-year-old cofounders say the U.S. is not far behind. While the company was started with a focus on software engineers, it says that companies and several AI labs have found varying talent, including videographers, professional writers, product developers and designers.

TOUCH BASE

News from the world of work

Forbes’ Thomas Brewster reported Wednesday that LinkedIn is using user data to train both its and parent-company Microsoft’s AI without explicit consent, instead requiring users to opt-out of data collection. LinkedIn has a number of AI-powered offerings for Premium members, including AI help on drafting résumés, cover letters and direct messages. While these tools could be helpful, if you’re worried about your data being used, here’s how to turn it off.

The number of certified accountants has been steadily decreasing for the past eight years. But an influx of private equity investments could help firms become more attractive to newbie accountants, Kelly Phillips Erb reports.

More updates on the employment situation at Boeing: Last week, the company paused hiring and new plane sales to curb costs stemming from the 33,000 striking workers. Since then, Boeing announced that it would furlough white-collar workers, including executives and managers, one week for every four that the strike lasts. On Tuesday morning, the company presented its “best and final” offer, but received pushback from the union’s negotiating committee; they say the company “disrespected” the union by circumventing it and presenting the offer directly to workers and the media.

Zoom will phase out its employee stock options packages beginning in February, joining firms like Salesforce and Workday in cutting back equity awards, Bloomberg reported on Friday. In an internal memo, the company said it would be phasing out its annual performance-based equity awards and new hires would be offered lowered equity incentives, with some receiving higher cash bonuses instead.

Despite the number of college protests during the spring, more than half of employers say that they are only slightly concerned, or not at all, about the impacts of potential unrest at campuses on their recruitment efforts, according to a quick poll by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Seventy-two percent say their on-campus recruitment plans also won’t change.

Early-career women are suffering from ageism at work more than any group, according to Lean In’s Women in the Workplace report. Contributor Lindsay Kohler writes about how to fight it.

NUMBER TO NOTE

28%

That’s the number of knowledge workers that say they have a “healthy relationship” with work, according to HP’s Work Relationship Index. According to the report, employees crave a personalized work environment, from flexible working hours to having the ability to decorate their desks or choose what technology they use. And they’re willing to pay for it, with 87% willing to take a pay cut in return for that personalized experience.

VIDEO

Bea Dixon’s Biggest Business Tip: Take Care Of Yourself

QUIZ

The average American worker spends nearly 55 minutes commuting back and forth to work. Which of the following cities has the shortest commute time?

A. Memphis

B. Detroit

C. Columbus, Ohio

D. Boston

Check if you got it right here.