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Companies Have Introduced More Environmentally Conscious Programs and Jobs over the Last Year, Finds a New CareerBuilder Survey

CHICAGO - April 21, 2009 - As the world turns its spotlight to the environment this week for Earth Day, companies across the country are spending more time focusing on creating and implementing "green" programs and jobs that will make their workplace more environmentally conscious. In fact, one-in-ten employers say they have added "green jobs," otherwise known as environmentally-focused positions, in the last 12 months, according to a new national survey of more than 2,500 hiring managers by CareerBuilder. The survey was conducted between February 20 and March 11, 2009.


Not only are companies showing their commitment to the earth by creating new environmentally friendly positions, but also through "green" programs that get current employees involved. Seventy percent of companies say they have added programs to be more environmentally conscious in the last year. The most popular "green" programs include:

  • Recycling (50 percent)

  • Using less paper (45 percent)

  • Controlling lighting (44 percent)

  • Powering down computers at the end of the day (30 percent)

  • Purchasing office supplies made from recycled materials (27 percent)

    • "Green jobs have increased in popularity over the last few years as companies take continued action to become more environmentally conscious and reduce their carbon footprints," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. "The economic stimulus plan is expected to spur an increase in the number of green jobs by creating investments in alternative energies. There are a variety of positions that fall under the green category that could present great new career opportunities for job seekers."

    The following are examples of green job opportunities:

      1.Hydrologist: The median annual income is $64,604.
      2.Environmental Engineer: The median annual income is $63,673.
      3.Pollution Control Technician: The median annual income is $47,403.
      4.Biologist: The median annual income is $53,665.
      5.Science Teacher: The median annual income of kindergarten, elementary, middle and secondary school teachers ranges from $41,400 to $46,991.
      6.Fund-raising Director: The median annual income is $79,762.
      7.Urban Planner: The median annual income is $55,365.
      8.Economist: The median annual income is $82,628.
      9.Forester: The median annual income is $48,110.
      10.Environmental Attorney: The median annual income for attorneys specializing in construction, real estate and land use is $90,146.
      11.Community Affairs Manager: The median annual income is $57,359.
      12.Environmental Health and Safety Technician: The median annual income is $47,403.
      13.Landscape Architect: The median annual income is $53,241.
      14.Waste Disposal Manager: The median annual income is $31,572.
      15.Environmental Chemist: The median annual income is $48,850.

    CareerBuilder currently has more than 10,000 jobs posted that fit into the "green" category.

    * Salary figures based on data from CBSalary.com in conjunction with SalaryExpert.com.

    Survey Methodology
    This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,543 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; with at least significant involvement in hiring decisions; non government) ages 18 and over between February 20 and March 11, 2009 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset US Employers, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,543, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.94 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

    About CareerBuilder
    CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com, is the largest in the U.S. with more than 23 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 31 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to talent acquisition. More than 9,000 Web sites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder’s proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com

    CareerBuilder Media Contact
    For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

    Jennifer Grasz
    (P) 773-527-1164
    (E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com