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In 2025, root/edge, the Group's specialist energy, power, and infrastructure recruitment and advisory brand, partnered with Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE) to develop the Clean Energy & Sustainability Salary and Sentiments Report. The project demonstrated far more than salary benchmarking. It showcased how deep market expertise and industry relationships can produce intelligence that creates value across an entire sector.
As the clean energy industry entered a period of slower growth and greater market uncertainty, employers faced increasingly complex workforce decisions. Compensation expectations were evolving and organizations needed reliable data to inform hiring, retention, and workforce planning.
Having recognizing this challenge, WRISE engaged root/edge to deliver an independent market study that would provide greater transparency while supporting its mission to advance equity across the renewable energy industry.
Rather than producing a traditional compensation survey, root/edge designed a research program that examined both workforce data and the experiences behind it.
More than 500 professionals from across the U.S.clean energy and sustainability sector participated in an anonymous survey covering compensation, career progression, benefits, workforce sentiment, and diversity.
Responses were analyzed using percentile-based salary benchmarking alongside qualitative sentiment analysis, creating a report that reflected not only what professionals were earning but how they viewed their careers, employers, and the future of the industry.
This approach illustrates the difference between collecting data and generating market intelligence. By combining recruitment expertise with structured research, root/edge produced a resource capable of informing strategic workforce decisions across the industry.
The report confirmed that the clean energy workforce remained optimistic despite a more challenging commercial environment.
Two-thirds of respondents expressed confidence in their long-term careers within the sector, highlighting continued belief in the industry's future even as organizations navigated changing economic conditions.
The research also highlighted a market entering a more mature phase. Salary growth had moderated, with organizations increasingly balancing competitive base pay alongside bonuses and broader reward strategies.
Perhaps more importantly, the findings demonstrated that attracting talent is only part of the challenge. While most professionals believed they could build long-term careers within their organizations, relatively few had formal development plans in place. The data reinforced a growing reality across the sector that career development and workplace culture have become critical drivers of retention.
The partnership also reflected WRISE's wider mission to build a more equitable renewable energy workforce.
By providing an independent benchmark for compensation and workforce trends, the report equips employers to make more informed decisions around pay and talent strategy. At the same time, it gives professionals greater transparency around career progression and market expectations.
Importantly, the research explored gender pay differences alongside broader diversity and inclusion trends, providing objective data that supports more informed conversations around workplace equity.
For WRISE, these insights strengthen its ability to advocate for meaningful change across the industry. For employers, they provide evidence that commercial success and inclusive workplaces are increasingly interconnected rather than competing priorities.
Projects of this nature demonstrate the value of specialist expertise applied beyond traditional recruitment.
Root/edge produced research that has become a practical resource for employers and industry leaders alike. The report reinforces the brand's position as a trusted advisor within the clean energy sector, capable of delivering strategic insight as well as talent solutions.
The success of the inaugural report has also established the foundation for the 2026 edition, which will continue tracking workforce trends as the clean energy market evolves.
For organizations seeking a deeper understanding of the industry's workforce, the 2025 Clean Energy & Sustainability Salary and Sentiments Report remains a valuable reference. The full report provides a comprehensive view of the future of talent across the clean energy sector.