Green Buildings Industry Faces Shortage of Skilled Labor

A radical greening of our buildings is necessary to tackle climate change and control carbon emissions. Apart from the construction of green buildings, retrofitting existing tall buildings is also required to curb carbon emissions.

However, there is a severe lack of skilled workers proficient in green building practices. And this shortage can slow down the progress of a green economy.

According to a study conducted by the U.S Green Building Council, the demand for green buildings exceeds workforce supply. Trades jobs such as carpenters, boilermakers, electricians, concrete and cement masons, and plumbers are expected to see the greatest growth in green jobs. Today, 15 percent of trades are green jobs, and this is expected to increase to 25 percent in three years, the study shows. One of the main reasons for this labour shortage, a study conducted by the European Union and the International Labour Office showed, is due to changing skill requirements.

“Skill requirements change as green building technologies and practices change, so that previously satisfactory skills sets are no longer adequate,” the report said. Also, rapid greening of building activity and advances in techniques and technologies change skill sets faster than education and training systems can respond.

Also, the economic downturn, an aging workforce and an insufficient pipeline of younger workers have limited the number of workers in the industry.

Meanwhile, to remove this bottleneck, various governments and private agencies have started imparting training programs. Universities, too, are gradually revising their curricula to address this need. For instance, in Latvia, Riga Technical University has integrated principles of green building into basic courses for architects and engineers; in Denmark, Bachelor degree students in Architectural Technology and Construction Management can specialise in Energy Efficient Sustainable Design and Construction; and the Philippines Green Building Council trains professionals in a green building rating system.

Where the jobs are:
Conceiving, planning, designing and advising occupations - Architects and civil/structural/ environmental engineers, technicians, surveyors, consultants and advisors
Construction, installation, maintenance occupations - Building site supervisors, site engineers and site architects
Controlling occupations - Energy auditors
Enabling occupations - Policy makers, urban planners, financing, researchers
Manufacturing and distribution occupations - Manufacturers and distributors of green building materials and products
Green building clients – Developers, Energy Managers, Facilities Managers and Building Managers, Householders and Tenants