How AI and the green economy are impacting career opportunities

What with artificial intelligence (AI), the “fourth industrial revolution”, and the promise of impending planetary catastrophe, it can sometimes seem like mankind is running to stand still.

The world around us is changing and the pace of that change is greater than we’ve ever known. The consequences of this can be seen almost everywhere, and the world of work – where most us will spend about a third of our adult lives – is front and centre.

Sharon McCooey, the head of professional networking site LinkedIn in Ireland, says there is a broad trend within the labour market at the moment whereby roles are being created and displaced “at a record pace”.

LinkedIn’s data has revealed that jobs are quickly evolving. About 25 per cent of the skills required for a specific role have changed since 2015, and that number is expected to double by 2027.

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“So, regardless of how potentially disruptive AI is, every professional needs to have the mindset of needing to constantly learn,” she says.

Two “clear areas of opportunity” she highlights for graduates are AI and the green economy, pointing out that the World Economic Forum predicts there will be 97 million jobs involving AI created by 2025.

There has already been significant growth in AI talent in Ireland, with LinkedIn data showing it grew more than 500 per cent between 2016 and 2022.

“Computer vision, natural language processing, machine learning and deep learning are among the fastest growing Al skills in Ireland, so anyone with any of these skillsets will be in demand,” she says.

“If someone has already started their career, there is no need to be concerned that they have missed out on a career path. The reality is that there is an AI skills shortage, so a key part to addressing that will be a focus on upskilling and reskilling of professionals.”

On that note, Hays Recruitment has seen a spike in demand over the past year for tech and engineering graduates with computer science, maths, statistics and robotic learning qualifications.

While discussion about the impact of AI on the labour market dominates conversation, McCooey argues the disruption and opportunities presented by climate change should capture the same level of attention.

Hiring for green jobs in Ireland has already doubled since 2016, according to LinkedIn data, and the Government estimates the Irish economy will need to fill more than 20,000 jobs by 2030 just to support leading green economy sectors. But there is a problem.

“There simply isn’t enough talent to go around for the green economy,” says McCooey, who argues that meeting Ireland’s climate targets will require “a seismic shift” and the reinvention of many business models.

“This has already led to a wealth of job opportunities today ranging from sustainability managers to wind turbine technicians,” she says.

Specific job opportunities graduates should also be aware of include solar consultants, ecologists, and environmental health and safety specialists, which ranked as the five fastest growing green jobs between 2016 and 2021 on LinkedIn.

Hays Recruitment director Maureen Lynch says Ireland’s tardiness in terms of progress on climate targets has led to a boom in this area of the labour market.

“Many corporates were slow out of the blocks on this, but now realise they have a lot of work to do to deliver upon 2030 carbon emission targets,” she says. “To this end, both the public and private sector are making major investments in this space.

“Sustainable development and sustainable leadership have emerged as a career path that didn’t really exist 10 years ago, outside of the Government and NGO sector. This is an area that resonates with many 20-somethings and now they can build a career in this space.

“The sector is particularly suited to graduates with qualifications in business sustainability, sustainable finance, civil engineering, physics, chemistry and other science disciplines.

“The Irish third-level sector has also responded to the climate emergency and has developed numerous highly sought-after post-graduate qualifications within this space.”

On a similar theme, Sigmar Recruitment chief executive Frank Farrelly says one of the emerging areas being talked about more is the “circular economy”, which refers to the management of waste and reducing the amount of raw materials we use.

“More companies are paying attention to the implications of what they produce and looking to find ways to mitigate waste,” he says. “Hopefully, for the environment, this accelerates, and it will lead to opportunities across engineering, supply chain, sales and marketing.”

On another related note, Jack Kennedy, senior economist at jobs website Indeed, highlights the area of environment, social and governance (ESG) as a fast emerging industry that is likely to see increased job growth in the coming years.

These jobs can vary widely but focus on sustainability in all areas – environmental sustainability as well as social sustainability.

“This can mean not only ensuring organisations are following environmentally sound practices, and perhaps even innovating in green practices, but also accounting for the human impact of business, ensuring workers and communities can thrive and grow,” he says.

Sustainability

A recent Indeed survey found more than half of Irish workers (56 per cent) said they would consider looking for a job related to sustainability if they were starting their career again.

The vast majority (82 per cent) also believe environmental and sustainability education is key to the future success of the country, while 77 per cent said more should be done to encourage young people into environmental or sustainability jobs when choosing careers.

“It’s clear that sustainability will become more and more ingrained in business processes and we need to look at how our workforce can not only meet that need in the coming years, but become a world leader in the area,” adds Kennedy.

But what of the more traditional parts of the labour market? The business sections of newspapers in recent months have been dominated by news of mass lay-offs in the tech industry and features on the replacement of humans with machines in many other fields.

But Lynch says we mustn’t overreact. While emerging sectors are “particularly buoyant this year”, she is still seeing “positive activity” among some of the more traditional industries, including banking and finance, health, and construction and engineering.

University of Limerick careers’ adviser Brendan Lally agrees. “When we think to the future, the tech sector comes to mind, but it’s important to note that current job cuts in the tech sector do not necessarily indicate a decline in the industry as a whole,” he says.

“The tech sector remains a dynamic field with continuous innovation, and while some companies may experience job cuts, others will be actively hiring to support new initiatives and emerging technologies.”

These, he says, include AI and machine learning, VR and AR technologies, data analytics, and “guarding that data against invaders” with valuable careers in cyber security.

Lynch describes cyber security as “another growth area”, pointing out that many corporates and even private individuals have learned the importance of data security and data privacy “the hard way”.

Today, some of the world’s biggest cyber security firms have a presence in the Irish market. There are currently in excess of 160 here with more than 7,000 cyber security professionals employed in the sector.

“This number is set to grow considerably over the next five years, with a particular demand for graduates with computer science, computer programming and cloud computing skills,” Lynch says.

A major advantage for graduates today is the digital literacy that has been accrued by simply growing up in a much more computerised world than previous generations. As change accelerates, the advantage of being “digital natives” will stand to them, Farrelly says.

“Most companies continue to focus on digital transformation,” he says. “This will continue to evolve across all sectors from manufacturing to services. Product pipelines are becoming more complex and diverse, and digital skills will always be in demand.

“In HR this translates to an increased demand for data analytic skills. Even more traditional sectors like legal are being disrupted by AI. The entry level jobs are becoming more interesting too and not just for law graduates. Legal tech is becoming more prominent.

“In financial services, regulatory and compliance roles continue to grow in importance. While the growth in payment has stalled, it will grow again, and as crypto currencies become more mainstream there will be numerous career opportunities in the space.”

Clues

Another place to look for clues on the future of the labour market is the dinner table. While Ireland is food rich, globally there is a challenge.

This, coupled with the environmental impacts of transport, means we should see the emergence of niche areas like urban agricultural specialists. Farrelly points out that Singapore already has them.

“There is also more money being invested in medical research,” he says. “For example, the cell and gene therapy sector of the bio pharma industry is growing and will provide many interesting and secure career paths.

“An offshoot from this I predict will be an increase in the demand for therapists as people identify potential future health problems.”

So, what advice for graduates stepping into this jungle? Should they follow the age-old adage of “go where the demand is”? Not necessarily, according to Lally.

“Our team at the University of Limerick’s careers service are strong advocates for linking individual values to any career choice,” he says.

“Any graduate career strategy must include self-awareness. Values are a window through which we see the world and seek fulfilment in our lives. You need to know your why.

“Personal values provide a compass that helps us navigate the shifting market landscape and make choices that align with our authentic selves. When an individual’s values align with the goals and objectives of a task or activity, they are more likely to perform well.

“In a previous medtech company I worked in, their mission was to alleviate pain, restore health and extend life – quite powerful. The more the potential employee buys into a mission like that, the more their values can serve as a source of motivation.”

DCU careers consultant Jennifer Kwan has some more pointers. “Keeping up to date on business news in Ireland and abroad can help inform you of the direction of emerging businesses,” she says.

“This will help you understand the macro trends that are influencing all areas of business such as cyber security, AI and sustainability.

“You can also research Irish awards for small businesses and start-ups to see where new ideas are emerging; these include AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, life sciences and software.”

She says understanding political movements locally and abroad, particularly in the UK and EU, will also help to identify areas of opportunity for the Irish economy and the priorities of the Government in relation to funding and investments.

“Graduates will be participating in a market that is influenced by external factors creating new opportunities, like say a Brexit consultant, and will need to show flexibility to take advantage of these opportunities,” she adds.