Covid-19 heroes: Job portal for 'green-collar' workers

Mr Heng Li Seng is one of the founders of Green Collar Careers, a portal that matches job-seekers with jobs in the field of sustainability.
Mr Heng Li Seng is one of the founders of Green Collar Careers, a portal that matches job-seekers with jobs in the field of sustainability. PHOTO: HENG LI SENG

Over the past year, Mr Heng Li Seng, founder and chief executive officer of Green Nudge - a social enterprise that helps companies reduce the amount of waste generated at events - has had a handful of people approach him for a green job.

In recent months, with the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, the inquiries have more than doubled.

He now gets about one request a month, including from foreigners who want to relocate here and are asking about the green jobs landscape.

It opened his eyes to the demand for green jobs, dealing with fields such as sustainability and climate change.

"We realised that we could help the environment as well as allow people to gain meaningful employment in this up-and-coming industry," says Mr Heng, 32.

Last month, he teamed up with space engineer Rusty Goh, 34, to launch Green Collar Careers, a portal that matches job-seekers with jobs in the field of sustainability. The jobs listed range from entry-level ones to senior positions and is gaining traction among the young.

"Among the youth, there is a desire to do something meaningful with their career, and not just work in any other job," he says, adding that environmental awareness and the "journey to zero waste" have caught on in the last few years.

The two founders, who met through a mutual friend, curate the listings from job portals and also allow user submissions.

Two weeks ago, they began listing green jobs in Malaysia and intend to cover the rest of South-east Asia over the next two years.

  • This is the last of the Portraits of Purpose series in collaboration with DBS. Look out for our next interview series on social entrepreneurs making a difference by Wong Kim Hoh on Sept 13.

Their hope is to rehabilitate the image of a region often associated with oil-palm plantations and haze caused by illegal agricultural fires.

Mr Goh, who is based in Berlin, says the portal is their small contribution to a greener world.

Despite recycling more actively since he moved to Europe in 2018, he is conscious of how much waste he generates and energy he consumes in daily life.

He says: "Even though I'm not perfect, I can be mindful of what I'm consuming every day and make an impact on the community through my actions."


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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on August 23, 2020, with the headline Job portal for 'green-collar' workers. Subscribe