Emerging careers in sustainable mobility: opportunities and challenges for the future
Sustainable mobility and tourism are becoming an increasingly strategic combination for economic growth and environmental protection. As highlighted by data from the Repower White Paper 2025, the sector is generating new job opportunities. To frame its potential and growth, consider that the Global Green Skills Report 2024 by LinkedIn indicates an average annual growth in demand for “green skills” of 5.9% between 2021 and 2024, with significant increases in countries such as the United Kingdom (+13%), Ireland (+12.4%), and Saudi Arabia (+11.7%). However, the supply of qualified professionals struggles to keep up with demand, and without targeted investments in training, the gap between the need for green-driven skills and their availability could reach 18.7% by 2030 and 101.5% by 2050.
According to the OECD 2024 report, in Italy:
- 19.5% of the workforce is already employed in green sectors
- 13.7% holds new or emerging roles in sustainability
- 5.1% still works in high-emission industries
The transition to a sustainable energy model is reshaping the job market, driving growing demand for specialized professionals, including photovoltaic technicians and sustainable mobility experts, who are essential in supporting this transformation.
At the same time, new key professional roles are emerging in the development of infrastructure and services for sustainable mobility. These include Mobility Managers, responsible for designing solutions to reduce the environmental impact of transportation; charging station installers, specialized technicians who integrate electric vehicle charging infrastructure into existing networks, ensuring a balance between safety and efficiency; and specialists in electric mobility infrastructure, who develop advanced charging networks, optimizing energy consumption and reducing charging times.
Since technological innovation is a key enabler for the ecological transition, data analysis for sustainable mobility are becoming essential. These professionals collect and interpret traffic flow, emissions, and energy consumption data to further optimize transportation systems. In the field of smart mobility, autonomous driving system engineers are taking on a central role in developing advanced technologies to enhance road safety, while circular economy experts contribute to sustainable material management, working on battery recycling and designing vehicles with a longer, lower-impact life cycle.
On a strategic level, new roles such as energy transition managers in transportation are emerging, responsible for implementing sustainable operating models, managing investments in green technologies, and working with public institutions. Another key role is that of sustainable mobility policy consultants, who support local and national governments in developing innovation-driven and sustainability-based regulations.
The need to transition towards sustainable mobility is creating new job opportunities. However, without substantial investments in training, infrastructure, and incentives, we risk an ever-widening gap between the demand and supply of green skills. Are we truly ready to meet this challenge?
