Sustainability Talent Market Update – Early 2026
After four years of hiring freezes and budget constraints, the sustainability recruitment market is showing clear signs of transition to growth.
Market signals:
Farrell Associates has historically served as a bellwether for sustainability recruitment cycles. We identified the first signs of market contraction in March 2022, when people dismissed our observations as premature pessimism. The downturn materialised exactly as we anticipated. Now we're seeing the market turn again—but it will take considerable time for this shift to work its way through to mainstream awareness. Early movers will have significant advantage.
What we're seeing:
The fourth quarter of 2025 marked a fundamental shift in client behaviour. For the first time in recent memory, hiring urgency continued through the traditionally quiet Christmas period, with companies moving from exploratory conversations to "we need someone by February" timelines. This isn't speculative interest—it's genuine momentum building into 2026.
Why now:
Multiple factors are converging. Extreme weather events are translating directly into P&L impacts through food inflation, supply chain disruptions, and soaring insurance premiums. Climate risk has moved from future consideration to present-quarter concern.
But there's more than defensive positioning at play. A significant regulatory tailwind is building—companies are sitting on compliance infrastructure that needs monetising whilst watching competitors face penalties for non-compliance. More importantly, there's a fundamental shift toward value creation through resilience and sustainability risk management. Organisations are recognising that climate adaptation, supply chain resilience, and resource efficiency aren't cost centres—they're sources of competitive advantage and revenue growth in an increasingly volatile operating environment.
Arguably, firms were thinking like this at the end of 2024. ‘What’s next?, what are our new products?’. But, the uncertainty of 2025 had put plans on the shelf, but they are all coming down at once. Firms are genuinley thinking of new strategy and product. A tinder box for hiring growth.
Boards are recognising that sustainability functions aren't values exercises—they're business-critical capabilities for protecting margins and identifying growth opportunities. The ideology is evolving from purely values-based approaches toward pragmatic resilience and tangible value creation.
Who's hiring:
Senior strategic sustainability positions are returning to the market—the roles that disappeared in 2022. Asset managers are building funds that can compete with passive, while seeling in red states in the US. Corporates are expanding beyond compliance to strategic resilience. Insurance companies are hiring environmental risk specialists. The focus has shifted from junior ESG coordinators to professionals who can drive commercial outcomes and manage material business risk.
The talent landscape:
After years of limited mobility, proven sustainability professionals who weathered the freeze are suddenly facing multiple opportunities. Companies running on skeleton crews are competing for a constrained pool of senior talent. We're also seeing increased openness to adjacent experience and career changers as organisations recognise that collaborative capacity and commercial acumen often matter more than perfect credentials.
Looking ahead:
2026 appears positioned to mark the beginning of genuine market expansion in sustainability hiring. The shift from survival mode to growth mode brings both opportunity and competition for talent. Organisations that have delayed building capabilities may find themselves disadvantaged as the window for strategic hires narrows.
For hiring managers: expect increased competition and longer notice periods. For professionals: mobility options are opening after an extended constraint period.