According to a survey conducted by the personnel marketing service provider Königsteiner, around 62 percent of people feel that the value a company places on sustainability is an important factor in determining which company they want to work for. 51 percent of respondents even classified this as one of their top three criteria in a job search.

When it came to perceptions of a company’s ability to fulfill this criterion, however, respondents were largely pessimistic. They estimated that only 33.2 percent of companies view sustainability as an important issue. 14.9 percent of respondents went so far as to say that they believe that most companies don’t see sustainability as being remotely relevant. 57.8 percent of respondents claimed that they had never seen sustainability mentioned in a job posting.

The results of this study also seem to indicate that few job applicants are vocal about their sustainable values. 32.1 percent of respondents said they could see themselves taking part in “Fridays for Future” strike, but very few indicated that they would be likely to bring this up in a job interview. If sustainability is as important of a consideration for job applicants as this study suggests, it may be time for companies to reconsider the value they place on this topic or how effectively they are communicating their work in this area.