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Promoting green credentials could help with recruitment in GCC

Could the secret to securing top millennial talent lie in your green credentials?

Protecting the planet should be on everyone’s priority list, but in case you needed a little extra nudge, it turns out that nine in 10 millennials residing in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) not only believe in climate change but trust their leaders, employers and educators to lead the charge against it.

The data was obtained in a study by YouGov, which delved into how millennials believed global warming would affect the job market. YouGov surveyed 1,294 people living in the GCC (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) region who were aged from 18 to 29.  

Some 92% stated that global warming is growing problem, with the earth’s condition significantly worse than it was 20 years ago. A further 87% believed that it is the responsibility of their governments, scientists, experts, universities and schools to be active in the fight. Interestingly, businesses are trusted the least in this regard, scoring just 50%.

In terms of employment trends, 81% believed that global warming would change the nature of their job, while 64% thought that it may destroy their job altogether. Moreover, 77% believed that commitments to green growth and climate-friendly measures would not only protect the planet, but also improve their country’s economic and job situation. Significantly, 81% believed that green business is profitable business and that it is possible to combine material progress and environmental protection.

Only 7% reported that a company’s carbon footprint was the most important criteria when applying for a job, although this is less of a comment on corporate conduct and more likely related to new graduates keen to get their first step on the career ladder, wherever that may be. Given that 20% consider global warming to be one of their top three priorities for the future and half indicated that contributing to the fight against global warming is one of their career goals, it would bode well for employers to take note and start promoting their green credentials.

“It is encouraging to see that nine out of 10 millennials in the GCC are concerned about the environment and they remain cautiously optimistic that solutions could still be found to counter the issues,” said Kailash Nagdev, YouGov’s regional managing director.

“The young are leading the way by making cautious choices in terms of career paths and companies they work for, that could help them work on some of these solutions.

“These beliefs signal that organisations that genuinely care about the environment would be the brand of choice for employment and purchasing decisions for the millennial workforce,” he concluded.

If you’re proud of your company’s green credentials, or you’re implementing a Corporate Social Responsibility programme, why not shout about it in your recruitment process? It might just help you attract the top international graduate talent who are looking to come home.

Gradlink has a wealth of new graduate CVs just waiting to be read. Register your business with GradLink today and gain direct access to top millennial talent.