Companies in Asia Pacific have been cutting back on junior-level sustainability talent as they tap into artificial intelligence (AI) to perform automatable functions such as sustainability reporting, according to a recruitment consultant. “We have been seeing more senior hires – and fewer junior hires,” said Balfour, whose firm services corporate sustainability departments across the region. This trend has exacerbated “massive talent pathway issues” in the sustainability sector, as junior and mid-level staff are deprived of the experience needed to progress their careers by doing labour-intensive but important jobs such as sustainability reporting, Balfour told Eco-Business on the sidelines of the event. But the recruiter noted that in order for sustainability to be taken more seriously at the corporate level in Asia, more sustainability professionals need to move into senior corporate roles. Balfour’s comments come at a time when sustainability departments are under pressure to prove their value amid a tough economic climate and heightened scrutiny of environmental, social and governance (ESG) following the election of Donal Trump as United States President.