‘Even if I won the lottery, I’d still work in solar’: why green jobs appeal to tradespeople who are not passionate environmentalists

Despite the emergence of new green jobs, many workers are reluctant to pursue these career pathways because they do not consider themselves environmentalists or are concerned about experiencing job insecurity in potentially low-paying positions. While existing literature suggests that individuals with strong environmental values are more likely to pursue environmentally sustainable work, less is understood about what would drive people into green jobs when they do not necessarily hold these steadfast principles. This study addresses that puzzle through 50 in-depth interviews with Canadian workers in the heat pump and solar panel sector. How do they describe their motivations for entering (and staying in) these sectors, and to what extent do these green jobs meet workers’ material and subjective needs? We draw on a conceptual framework that integrates work motivation and the passion paradigm to analyse how workers express what drives them to work in these green sectors. Findings reveal a range of economic, social, and personal benefits of green work beyond environmental concern. Given the worldwide shortage of tradespeople central to any energy transition, these findings can inform future green job outreach and retention efforts, focusing on workers’ lived experiences.