Green Jobs for IT Consultants

February 17, 2015

According to the 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics report, Green jobs grew at a rate 4x faster than any other industry during the years of 2010 and 2011, including healthcare. Since then it has continued on a strong path of growth as both private companies and the public sector have begun to prioritize investments in sustainability. A bonus of this trend is that these green jobs cut across every industry, including the IT world.

Because of growth in the green sector, there is an increased demand for IT specialists who can apply their technological skills to help companies adjust to a green economy. Being “green” can mean a lot to a variety of companies, and there is no clear definition. However, there are increasingly government regulations that require certain sustainability actions, stakeholders who demand energy efficiency to boost the bottom line, and companies who have decided to take on green efforts for internal or Corporate Social Responsibility purposes.

Often, initial moves to become more energy efficient or sustainability-focused are easy for a company to find. But after the obvious, it can be difficult for companies to move the needle in their quest to become greener. That’s an opportunity for environmental IT Consultants. IT Consultants can bring expertise in data control, systems, and analysis to help companies find their inefficiencies and control their energy usage. Technology and software systems, such as Igor, provide IT Consultants a new set of solutions in their arsenal when they approach the challenge of improving the energy efficiency of companies who already minimize energy waste.

A report by the Journal for Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Professionals looked at the top 12 global environmental consulting firms and looked at where the companies brought in their revenue. Specialties where IT professionals can have a strong impact included environmental management which brought in 13% of the overall revenue, and a general category for energy brought in 5%.

As technology advances and more devices can become a part of the Internet of Things (IoT), IT professionals will see increasing demand in the green services sector because software will touch more aspects of sustainability. IT professionals’ knowledge of systems management and the advanced tools that allow for the precise control of energy will become paramount to any company seeking triple-bottom line benefits.

If you are interested in how Igor can help you integrate green technology in your consultant practice, please visit our Partner Page.