A record number of British job vacancies centred around environment, social and governance (ESG) were created in 2021, with a further surge expected next year as companies strive to be build a workforce with a more sustainable focus.
More than 35,000 new ESG jobs were created this year, according to recruiter Robert Walters UK, boosting the number of professionals in these roles to more than 400,000 – an increase of 7 per cent over the past year.
The rising focus on ESG comes in the year the UK hosted the Cop26 environment summit and pledged to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
There has also been growing pressure on listed companies to be more transparent around pay and representation at board level.
Chris Poole, managing director of Robert Walters UK, said British businesses are under more scrutiny, with processes, suppliers, materials and policies often having more of an impact on consumer actions than a finished product.
“As governments strive to achieve environmental targets and the choice widens for customers on socially conscious products and services, ESG will increasingly become more critical for survival, and not just for investment,” he said.
“With that, the number of ESG roles across the UK has risen sharply this year and will continue to grow as organisations strive to be more ethical, fair and inclusive.”
The rising demand for ESG workers comes as Britain faces a labour shortage, with the unemployment rate dropping to 4.3 per cent in the three months to end of September and job vacancies hitting 1.17 million in the three months to October, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Early figures show a record figure of about 1.3 million vacancies in October alone as companies struggle to hire staff.
The increase in ESG vacancies is sector wide, with increases of 19 per cent in human resources, 18 per cent in marketing, 6 per cent in research and 3 per cent in legal jobs.
In corporate social responsibility (CSR) alone, the number of vacancies is up 54 per cent, compared with 2019 pre-pandemic levels, and up 121 per cent from 2020.
Twenty-eight per cent of CSR vacancies are now for senior roles, a significant rise on the 7 per cent recorded in 2019, with the consumer goods and services sector accounting for most of the surge.
“Some thought that in a global crisis, ESG targets would be the first to go. However, many companies strengthened their commitment to ESG during the pandemic,” Mr Poole said.
“The suggestion also that people would care more about jobs and rocketing government debt over, for example, more socially conscious behaviour, appears misplaced.”
Meanwhile, diversity & inclusion (D&I) roles rose 32 per cent this year from pre-pandemic levels, with one in five vacancies advertised by the technology sector and 40 per cent of all the positions now for senior jobs within an organisation.
The shift comes as 62 per cent of professionals said they would turn down a job offer from a company with poor D&I initiatives.
There has also been a significant shift in corporate governance, with an 87 per cent increase in vacancies this year since 2020.
A third of those job roles are for senior positions, as the cost of corporate governance rises to £430 million ($570m) a year in the UK.
The UK government has hinted at plans to significantly increase the number of companies subject to stringent governance standards.
Meanwhile, the Financial Conduct Authority recently unveiled a tie-up with the government to improve transparency and data discrepancy, in a bid to put UK financial services and regulation at the forefront of ESG internationally.
“Over the last decade, we have seen a significant shift in the way that businesses approach social responsibility – with ESG making its way rapidly up the priority list," Mr Poole said.
ESG is key from an employment perspective as companies with a poor record could have their reputation tarnished while employees will be less inclined to work for a company that has a bad history on aspects such as gender pay gap.
“Almost all investors and stakeholders are now alive to ESG performance and want to see not just short-term plans but also how the core business model incorporates and deals with these issues in the long term,” Mr Poole said.
"Businesses that do not have an ESG and labour relations agenda will find themselves struggling to find investment from savvy backers who recognise the need to manage these risks and promote compliance."
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Ferrari
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UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Race card
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m
7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m
8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m
9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: Dh898,000
On sale: now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Austrian Grand Prix race timings
Weekend schedule for Austrian Grand Prix - all timings UAE
Friday
Noon-1.30pm First practice
4-5.30pm Second practice
Saturday
1-2pm Final practice
4pm Qualifying
Sunday
4pm Austrian Grand Prix (71 laps)
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
