The number of corporate social responsibility-related job roles advertised this year has increased by 74 per cent since last year, indicating businesses are taking steps to tackle important issues.
According to a new report released by global recruiter Robert Walters, the number of corporate social responsibility jobs are on the rise following the pandemic.
Roles in this area have risen by three-quarters (74 per cent) since last year and by over half (54 per cent) when compared to pre-pandemic figures.
In addition to this, senior or top-level hires have increased from 7 per cent in 2019 to represent over a quarter (28 per cent) of all CSR-related hires in 2021, signalling more conversations are being had about sustainability in the boardroom.
Leading industries paving the way for recruitment of sustainability experts include Consumer Goods & Services which account for close to a quarter (23 per cent) of CSR-professional vacancies this year.
Other industries which have maintained their recruitment drive in this area include Real Estate & Construction (19 per cent), Professional Services (13 per cent), Technology (11 per cent) and Media & Telecoms (8 per cent) in addition to Financial Services.
Surprisingly, Energy & Utilities sector only advertised under one in 10 (9 per cent) of all CSR-related jobs.
Chris Poole, Managing Director of Robert Walters UK, reflected that “businesses are under more scrutiny than ever currently”. He stated:
Processes, suppliers, materials, and policies often have more of an impact on consumer actions than a finished product.
As governments strive to achieve environmental targets, and the choice widens for customers on socially-conscious products and services – ESG will increasingly become more critical for survival, and not just for investment.
When breaking down the figures by region, London continues to dominate on the hiring front representing 40 per cent of all CSR-related vacancies this year, followed by the North West (9 per cent), and The Midlands (9 per cent).
This comes as the COP26 saw 60 per cent of the FTSE 100 companies signing up to a pledge to stop their contribution to climate change by 2050.
Additionally, nearly half of the FTSE100 already link executive pay and bonus structures to environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures – with this expected to rise in the coming years.
Daniel O’Leary, Business Director at Robert Walters, reflected on the benefits that corporate social responsibility could bring for companies:
Businesses which are failing to meet the expected ESG performance standards should expect to see a knock-on impact on their reputation.
As a workforce strategy, ESG has become a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent; numerous studies have shown that, when weighing up potential employers, millennials are hugely influenced by how a business responds to and tackles social issues.
*This has been outlined in Robert Walters “ESG: Mindset over Must” report, published in November 2021.
Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
