More than 8,500 job openings for environmental scientists and specialists will be created in the US each year, over the next decade, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many more climate roles within the public and private sectors will follow in this wake. But will it last? Last week’s noise around the Trump Administration’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” might give pause to those in the US, given the law’s dramatic roll back of energy incentives, environmental protections, and the expedited permitting of fossil fuel, “drill baby drill” projects.
But that view is parochial and short-sighted. The incentives for abandoning alternative energy initiatives, particularly in the private sector, are not there, and will not persist. Meanwhile, the hunt for high-level talent continues, as our research on the sector illustrates here.
Consider:
- 1. Many US states have strong climate action and investment plans, led by the private sector, and there is ample demand for environmental expertise, in all aspects of science and business. In California, clean energy jobs grew 4.1% last year—four times faster than the overall state economy. Federal government incentives will not stop them.
2. Clean energy and transportation investment in the U.S. totaled $67.3 billion in Q1 2025, a 6.9% increase from the same period in 2024, accounting for 4.7% of all U.S. private investment in structures, equipment, and durable goods, per research firm Rhodium
3. According to data at Sigmaearth, over 75% of US companies are actively engaged in sustainability, renewable energy, and environmental compliance, creating ongoing demand for skilled professionals in these areas.
- 5.Internationally, from Germany to Denmark, Canada, China and beyond, there is no let up in demand for scientists and environmental specialists, offering even more global career pathways. (We will more to report on international opportunities in future posts here.)
All of this to say, graduates and post-docs have wide range of career paths to choose from and should be aggressively building their relationships if there desired area of work. Here is a suggestion: to start, consider looking at…
> State and municipal agencies with strong environmental mandates (e.g., California Air Resources Board
> International organizations (e.g., United Nations Environment Program, World Bank, EU agencies)
Our SmartJobs upload this week provides some examples, including areas such as energy modeling, risk assessment, scientific policy director, toxic and health hazard specialist for corporates and local governments, hydrologist, consultant, scientific editor, and, not least, remote sensing of the Arctic.
There are, indeed, ample career positions on offer in the today’s marketplace.
Don’t be distracted. Demand for environmental skills remains high and is likely to grow, while the sector still offers meaningful, impactful, and growing career opportunities—especially for those with PhD-level, advanced expertise.
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Photo by Jason Mavrommatis on Unsplash