The ESG skills gap nobody’s talking about

As sustainability regulations like Australia’s AASB S2, the EU’s CSRD, and ISSB standards take effect, ESG has moved from a strategic goal to a compliance requirement. A key challenge is a skills gap: ESG knowledge is concentrated in small teams, while finance, operations, procurement, and governance remain underprepared. This limits organisations’ ability to manage climate risk, report emissions, and address human-rights issues, creating risks such as compliance failures, greenwashing, and falling investor confidence. Australia faces particular challenges as many directors and finance professionals lack climate-disclosure training. The article emphasizes that ESG must become a shared organisational competency, not a niche specialty, with cross-functional training and leadership engagement essential for embedding sustainability into everyday decision-making.

https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/the-esg-skills-gap-nobodys-talking-about/