Taiwan’s shortage of green-collar workers is approaching 30,000 positions, nearly four times the level eight years ago, as companies step up hiring to meet net zero and sustainability goals, according to the island’s environment ministry.
In its latest Green Talent Employment Trends Report for the second half of 2025, the Ministry of Environment said demand for workers with environmental and sustainability expertise continues to outpace supply, with shortages most acute in software and engineering roles, followed by biotechnology and medical research, and production management.
The semiconductor and information and communications technology sectors account for the largest share of unmet demand, with around 6,000 green positions unfilled, or about 21 per cent of the total gap, the report showed.
As climate targets reshape labour markets worldwide, Taiwan’s green technology industries are gaining economic weight. Environment minister Peng Chi-ming said the government’s definition of the “green technology industry” follows the methodology used in Germany’s GreenTech Atlas 2025, covering areas such as the circular economy, renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable forestry and water resource management.
These sectors generated NT$512.3 billion ($15.8 billion) in added value in 2024, equivalent to about 2 per cent of Taiwan’s gross domestic product, and employed roughly 380,000 people, with average annual growth of 9 per cent over the past five years, Peng said.
The ministry publishes the employment trends report twice a year. Officials said the second-half edition is increasingly used by workers considering job changes after receiving year-end bonuses.
Median monthly pay for green jobs advertised in the second half of 2025 stood at NT$40,000 (US$1,270), above the overall median of NT$38,000 (US$1,210), according to the report.
Employers are also raising qualification requirements. Project management and product management roles are increasingly asking candidates to hold a net zero green talent certification issued by the environment ministry.
The certification programme was launched in March, with the first exam held in August. Around 2,400 people have taken the courses so far, and about 1,900 have obtained certification, far short of current labour demand.
To expand training capacity, the ministry plans to work with universities to allow mutual recognition of credits and enable students to sit certification exams. It is also considering tailored courses for individual companies and will update teaching materials next year to include topics such as emissions trading systems and the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism.
Additional short courses ranging from 12 to 36 hours will be introduced from early next year, covering areas including energy efficiency, climate adaptation and natural carbon sinks, with subsidies available for students, low-income groups and people with disabilities, the ministry added.
Global demand for green skills outstrips supply
Taiwan’s experience mirrors broader global labour market trends in sustainability and climate transition. A Global Green Skills Gap Research Report released in March found that vacancies requiring green skills worldwide could surge from around 67 million this year to an estimated 241 million by 2030, far outpacing the rate of workforce skills development, posing a risk to climate goals.
Data from professional networking platform LinkedIn shows global demand for workers with green skills has grown at roughly twice the pace of supply, with green-related hiring rising significantly faster than the growth of green talent in the workforce. Employers are increasingly embedding green competencies across a wider range of job functions, beyond traditional environmental roles.
Energy efficiency employment has also expanded, with millions of jobs worldwide now tied to sustainability sectors, particularly in major markets such as China, the European Union and the United States, although skills shortages persist even in these regions.
The global push for net zero emissions and the transition to low-carbon technologies is driving both opportunities and challenges in labour markets. Analysts say coordinated training strategies and policy support will be critical to ensuring that workers are equipped with the skills necessary to fill green jobs and support the broader economic transformation.
