Benefits April 21, 2010

Survey Finds Companies Adding "Green" Jobs

April 21, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – One-in-ten employers say they have added environmentally-focused positions in the last 12 months and nearly 10% plan to add more in 2010.
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A CareerBuilder news announcement said employers in the Northeast (14%) added the most “green” jobs over the last year, followed by 11% in the South, 10% in the West, and 9% in the Midwest. Retail led the industries surveyed with 24% indicating they have added the “green” jobs over the last 12 months, followed by 18% of transportation and utilities, 15% of sales, 14% of IT and manufacturing, and 10% of financial services.

Companies are also strengthening their in-house green programs as well. Nearly 70% of companies say they added programs to be more environmentally conscious in the last year.

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The most popular green programs include:

  • Recycling (47%)
  • Using less paper (43%)
  • Controlling lighting (40%)
  • Powering down computers at the end of the day (29%)
  • Purchasing office supplies made from recycled materials (25%).

“Green opportunities continue to grow as companies take advantage of increased government programs designed to spur job growth and reduce the country’s carbon footprint,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder, in the announcement. “The green category has expanded over the past few years and job seekers are finding environmentally friendly positions in virtually every industry and at every job level.”

The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,778 U.S. Hiring Managers and HR professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; non government); ages 18 and over between February 10 and March 2, 2010.

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