Green Jobs Surge Among French Executives Amid Ecological Transition

A recent study by the Association for the Employment of Executives (Apec) reveals a significant rise in green job opportunities in France, marking ecological transition as a major driver of labor market change. Between 2019 and 2024, job offers linked to environmental concerns have surged by 43%. In 2023 alone, over 13,000 green job postings appeared on Apec's platform, comprising 2.9% of all offers, up from 1.8% in 2019.

Most opportunities are concentrated in environmental risk management with 6,060 offers and in the energy-water sectors with 5,520. Notable roles sought include environmental engineers, real estate diagnosticians, photovoltaic project managers, ecologists, and landscapers, primarily within architecture and engineering firms. Regionally, Île-de-France leads with over 3,300 job posts, followed by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which benefits from energy transition projects like the Tenerrdis cluster. Normandy and Grand Est also experience marked growth, focusing on renewable energy and environmental restoration.

Moreover, "green" skills are now demanded in 23% of strategic job offers, up eight points since 2019, reflecting the embedding of ecological competencies across professions. Emerging roles such as green IT manager and CSRD project manager highlight the evolving job landscape.

While the trajectory is promising, some uncertainty remains about the future scale of ecological transition. Still, green jobs distinctly represent one of the five major shocks reshaping the world of work, underscoring their growing importance in France’s economic and environmental strategy.