The posting of Corporate Social Responsibility jobs increased 33% in 4Q09.
That follows a rather dismal year, when postings fell 68% from 3Q08 to 3Q09, according to the CSR Jobs report released by Sustainability Recruiting. The worst of the decline (61%) occurred between 3Q and 4Q of 2008, mirroring the drop in the stock market. CSR job listings declined even further through 1Q09 before leveling off through most of the year at a low point not seen since mid-2006.
The 4Q09 up-tick is promising, although it remains to be seen whether it will continue in 2010.
Among the most notable findings in the report is the increase in senior-level corporate positions–those with VP and Director titles. Before 2006, none of the job postings had a title of VP or above.
Dave Stangis, Vice President of CSR and Sustainability at Campbell’s Soup commented: “The emergence of the VP of CSR and VP of Sustainability titles seems proof of the growing strategic business position of CSR.”
Ellen Weinreb, CEO of Sustainability Recruiting, said: “A number of factors are involved. Most notable is the increased value being placed on CSR as a component of corporate strategy. This elevates the importance of positions performing this role.
Katie Kross, author of A Resource Guide for MBA Careers in Sustainability, notes: “More and more employers are broadening the definition of CSR to include not only corporate citizenship, but also a focus on energy and environmental management issues. I also see employers posting job openings in traditional roles like operations and marketing that include some CSR responsibilities.”
According to Weinreb, there is enormous demand for CSR jobs from jobseekers. The catch-22 is that employers require candidates for these positions to have previous experience.
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