Talent Selection: Green Jobs & Clean Tech

This morning, the Indianapolis Business Journal sponsored a breakfast on the Green Economy.  The panel included Jesse Kharbana of the Hoosier Environmental Council, Scott Prince of clean tech venture capital firm EnerTech Capital, and architect Bill Brown, chair of the City of Indianapolis' Green Commission.

The current recession has brought many aspects of the green revolution into question.  Will venture capital interest in clean tech and green continue?  Will the federal government follow through on new carbon regulations?  Can LEED certification in construction spur a rebound of the residential and commercial construction industry?  

Perhaps most important in this discussion is oil.  Oil has dictated the direction of the US economy for more than fifty years.  Gasoline prices in the US have dropped below $2 per gallon which has provided much needed relief for consumers, many of whom are losing their jobs.  However, a friend with an instrumentation division of Emerson Electric in Dubai points out how much of a flux the oil industry is currently in.  He called yesterday worried about layoffs is the Middle East and Africa within his division while at the same time their company is forcasting sales growth five fold by 2012 in the Middle East.  The oil industry isn't counting on Green / Clean Tech succeeding in putting them out of business or getting the US off foreign oil.

Can any of this development lead to meaningful recruiting strategies and talent selection strategies for the recruiting industry?  A LEED certification driven boom could create a need for recruiting in the construction service industries but also in engineering and manufacturing talent aquisition and selection for building material manufacturers.  We have see some increase in recruiting and job postings for wind power product manufacturing in recent months.  However, I think it's just too soo to know if clean tech and green tech will result in a significant growth in recruiting needs and jobs.