Employers play a key role in Canada’s transition towards a sustainable economy. By adopting eco-friendly business practices and creating green job opportunities, they can directly contribute to positive environmental outcomes and help Canada reach its goals of reducing greenhouse emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Employers can also benefit from participating in this transition, because a growing number of workers and consumers think that sustainability is important.

What are green jobs?

Green jobs are positions that involve responsibilities contributing to the conservation, preservation, or restoration of the environment.

Useful definitions

  • Environmental conservation aims to prevent the degradation of natural resources through their responsible use.
  • Environmental preservation aims to protect natural resources and ecosystems from human harm and exploitation.
  • Environmental restoration involves repairing or rehabilitating natural resources that have been damaged or destroyed by natural disasters or human activities.

The environmental impact of green jobs

The impact of green jobs on the environment varies depending on the nature of a position: it may be direct (such as a solar panel installer) or indirect (such as a financial advisor who recommends eco-friendly investment options). Green jobs are not limited to specific industries: as public awareness of environmental issues grows, the demand for green jobs is increasing across most sectors of the economy in Canada.

On Job Bank, green jobs are identified as such when an employer indicates that the position they are advertising leads to positive environmental outcomes and helps Canada achieve its net-zero target. Learn more about Job Bank’s methodology for identifying green jobs.

How to tell if a job is green

Not sure if any of the positions currently available in your organization are green jobs? You can review their job description to assess if they have a positive impact on the environment. Ask yourself if the job:

  • requires specialized environmental skills, knowledge, or expertise (for example: knowledge of environmental policies and regulations, expertise in sustainable resource management, etc.)
  • involves tasks that result in an environmental benefit (for example: installing or operating clean technology equipment, applying sustainable building construction or retrofitting techniques, etc.)
  • supports organizations that work toward positive environmental outcomes (for example: providing services to sustainable businesses, promoting or selling eco-friendly products, etc.)

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", then it’s likely that the position qualifies as a green job.

Did you know?

Since 2016, the Government of Canada has committed more than $120 billion to climate action and low-carbon economic development—including the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, the first plan to be issued under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act.

Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2022 PDF

Advertise your green jobs

Looking to fill a position that contributes to positive environmental outcomes?

When you create a job posting on Job Bank, you will be asked to confirm that the position is a green job if you either:

  • select a job title that is associated with green jobs
  • select a job requirement that is considered green

Once your job posting is advertised, it will be clearly labelled as a green job. Learn more about how to advertise green jobs on Job Bank.

Post a job

How to greenify your business

In addition to creating green jobs, your business can help the environment by adopting green initiatives that are good for the environment.

You can start by making small changes, like recycling to minimize waste, and saving energy by turning off lights and machines when they are not in use.

You can also:

  • use biodegradable or reusable products in your daily operations
  • encourage your employees to use green transportation alternatives (such as using public transit, carpooling or biking)
  • train your employees on sustainability best practices to foster a culture of environmental responsibility
  • use clean energy sources in your workplace (such as wind, solar, hydro or geothermal power)

These initiatives are examples of first steps your business can take towards helping the environment and attracting employees who share its commitment to sustainability. Once you are ready to scale up your efforts and do more for environmental preservation and restoration, check out the programs and incentives that are available to help you further down this page.

Useful resources

Promote your green initiatives

On Job Bank, you can showcase what your organization is doing about environmental sustainability by creating a Business Profile.

With a Business Profile, you can highlight the positive aspects of your workplace to potential applicants – including your green initiatives.

When you include green initiatives in your Business Profile, a "Green workplace" designation will appear in your job postings. Learn more about the Business Profile.

Sign up to create a Business Profile

Did you know?

About 70% of workers are more likely to apply for a job, accept a job and remain employed with an organization that they consider to be environmentally sustainable.

IBM Institute for Business Value, 2021 PDF

Find support and incentives

Federal funding opportunities

Here are some federal programs and initiatives that provide financial support to help your business adopt sustainable practices and create green jobs:

  • The Clean Growth Hub is the main source of guidance and advice about the different types of funding and services offered by the Government of Canada to support the adoption of clean technology across the country.
  • The Science and Technology Internship Program provides wage subsidies and other funding to eligible employers across Canada to hire, train, and mentor youth in the natural resources sector, including in energy, forestry, mining, earth science, and clean technology.
  • The Science Horizons Youth Internship Program provides wage subsidies to eligible employers across Canada to hire recent graduates for 6 to 12 month internships that contribute to Canada’s green economic growth in environmental and clean technology sectors.
  • The Net-Zero Accelerator initiative supports businesses in developing and implementing plans to transition their facilities and operations to net-zero emissions by 2050.
  • The Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program provides funding towards the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) chargers and hydrogen refuelling stations across Canada.
  • The Energy Innovation Program advances clean energy technologies that will help Canada meet its climate change targets, while supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. It funds research, development and demonstration projects, and other related scientific activities.
  • The Environmental Damages Fund subsidizes projects that restore damage to the environment and support wildlife conservation, in a cost-effective way.
  • The Sustainable Jobs Training Fund will allocate funding for projects offering free or low-cost training to help workers upskill or reskill for jobs in the sustainable economy. Organizations have until May 15, 2024, to apply for funding.
  • The Low Carbon Economy Fund supports projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate clean growth, build resilient communities and create good jobs for Canadians.
    Funding streams of the Low Carbon Economy Fund
    • Low Carbon Economy Challenge: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate clean growth.
    • Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund: to support provincial and territorial climate action priorities (for example: equipment retrofits, organics diversion, industrial process emissions changes).
    • Indigenous Leadership Fund: to support Indigenous-owned and led renewable energy, energy efficiency, and low-carbon heating projects.
    • Implementation Readiness Fund: to support activities and investments that prepare organizations to implement greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects and remove barriers to the adoption of low-carbon technology (such as workforce development and training initiatives). This funding opportunity is open only to organizations that are invited to apply by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Other services funded by the Government of Canada

The following organizations funded by the Government of Canada may also support businesses on their journey to sustainability:

  • Sustainable Development Technology Canada helps Canadian companies develop and implement sustainable technologies by delivering critical funding support at every stage of their journey.
  • ECO Canada (Environmental Careers Organization of Canada) provides a variety of services to help Canadian employers participate in the green economy.
    Services offered by ECO Canada
    • Employment programs that provide wage subsidies for green jobs (including internships and student work placements), connect employers and qualified candidates and fund customized skills development training.
    • Learning and training programs, such as on-demand workshops and webinars, to equip employees with critical skills and knowledge for green jobs.
    • Designation programs for employers who want to be recognized as environmental leaders to better attract and retain talent for green jobs.

Tax credits and other provincial or territorial programs

Find out which tax credit your business may be able to claim when it adopts sustainable practices:

Find out what your province or territory is doing about climate change, and learn how your business can contribute:

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