Are Climate Jobs Really Disappearing — Or Just Going Quiet?
Finding meaningful work in climate and sustainability in the era of GreenHushing
If you’ve been following the headlines recently, you might think climate jobs are vanishing and that sustainability careers are dead.
Political pushback, especially in the US, has amplified the idea that “ESG is dead”. Under a renewed Trump narrative, companies are accused of abandoning their climate and sustainability commitments altogether. So the question of ‘how to find a climate job’ just feels harder to answer right?!
But the reality tells a very different story.
Research from Harvard Business Review (Sept 2025) shows that only around 13% of firms have actually scaled back their climate efforts. The vast majority are continuing — some even accelerating — their climate and sustainability work. What has changed is the signal: companies are making less noise about it.
This phenomenon, dubbed greenhushing, means organisations are still acting on climate but muting their public commitments. And that has consequences for anyone searching for meaningful work in this space:
👉 The jobs are still there. They’re just harder to spot.
The Language Shift: Why Climate Jobs Look Different Today
Public backlash has made “ESG” a lightning rod. As a result, firms are scrubbing it from their job descriptions. Instead, they’re rebranding roles with words that feel less politicised and more operational:
Sustainability and Transition
Climate Risk
Resilience Strategy
Impact and Adaptation
Circular Economy
For jobseekers, this can be confusing. You search for “climate jobs,” and see… nothing. The danger is assuming the opportunities have gone.
In reality, they’ve been redistributed across functions like operations, finance, risk, product strategy, and compliance. That’s why broadening your vocabulary is essential.
👉 [Nine Terms You Need To Know For Your Career Change into Climate]
Evidence That Climate Work Is Still Expanding
Let’s look at what the research actually shows:
Harvard Business Review (2025): Only 13% of companies have scaled back sustainability initiatives. Most continue to advance them, albeit with less publicity.
Generation IM (2024): “Greenhushing” is on the rise — organisations downplay climate action publicly but keep delivering behind the scenes.
InvestmentNews (2024): Wall Street is removing “ESG” from job titles and replacing it with terms like “sustainability” or “transition.”
Enable Green (2025 Sustainability Recruitment Market Report): Despite noisy headlines, demand for sustainability professionals remains strong, particularly in Europe. Titles are shifting, not disappearing.
So when you read that “ESG is dead,” remember: the story is louder than the data.
Top Sectors With Projected Climate Job Growth
At Climate Week NYC 2025, sector leaders highlighted where the strongest employment growth is expected. These areas are consistently cited as the engines of the future climate economy:
Clean Energy and Renewables
Solar, wind, and emerging renewables continue to attract huge investment.
Hiring is growing in installation, operations, project management, and the supporting infrastructure that underpins these systems.
Sustainable Transportation
EV manufacturing and charging networks are scaling fast.
Public transit modernisation and low-carbon mobility solutions are major focus areas.
Advanced Manufacturing and Critical Minerals
The demand for batteries, components, and critical materials is creating jobs in domestic mining, processing, and high-tech manufacturing.
Buildings and the Built Environment
Building decarbonisation and retrofitting existing structures is labour-intensive, requiring a wide range of skilled professionals.
Energy efficiency upgrades are already creating regional job booms.
Climate Tech, AI, and Robotics
Startups and established firms are rapidly hiring in AI-driven carbon management, robotics for adaptation, and digital infrastructure.
These are often the “hidden gems” for professionals with transferable tech, data, or product experience.
Finance
Climate risk disclosure and sustainability-linked finance are reshaping the global financial sector.
Demand for professionals who can bridge finance and impact is only increasing
How to Spot Opportunities Others Miss
If job titles are shifting, how do you avoid missing them?
Expand your search terms: Use “transition,” “resilience,” “adaptation,” “impact,” “circular economy,” alongside “sustainability.”
Read responsibilities, not titles: The climate work is often buried in the role description.
Find the people, not the jobs: The fastest route into climate isn’t scrolling — it’s conversations. Talk to people already working on the problems you want to solve.
Reframe your profile: Update your CV and LinkedIn to reflect the new language. AI can help you map your skills into today’s terminology.
👉 [How to Use Informational Interviews to Explore a Climate Career Pivot]
Reflection Prompts for Jobseekers
Which new terms (transition, resilience, risk) resonate most with my experience?
If I removed the label “climate,” which of my skills still apply directly to these growth sectors?
What conversations can I join this month to uncover the problems employers are trying to solve?
The Bottom Line
Climate jobs are not disappearing. The work is growing, diversifying, and embedding deeper into every sector — from renewables to finance to AI. What’s changing is the language and the signal.
If you want a career with real impact, the challenge isn’t finding the jobs. It’s learning how to see them.
How I Can Help
If you are ready to stop circling and actually move forward in your career shift into climate or sustainability, here is what working together can give you:
Clarity you can act on: Instead of a swirl of options, you will leave with a clear shortlist of roles and organisations that fit your skills, lifestyle and values
A story that gets noticed: Together we will craft a positioning narrative and LinkedIn profile that make it obvious what you bring
Confidence to step up: We will tackle the imposter syndrome and self-doubt that keep so many mid-career professionals stuck, so you can show up with the assurance you already deserve
This is a structured, supportive process that has helped hundreds of people like you find meaningful careers in climate and sustainability.
If that sounds like the partner you have been missing, let’s do this.
Appendix - Sources
sustainability.com/insights/episo…
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