The push for green jobs - impact and opportunities

 The term ‘green jobs’ has fast become part of our everyday language as the UK starts to move towards a workforce that has a direct, positive impact on the planet. Delivering this shift in practice, though, has a way to go and the recent (February 2023) publication of the  “Low carbon and renewable energy economy” report from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) is far from all positive reading. Nevertheless, it is worth a quick review of the impact of the green economy on the UK workforce and the opportunities it could offer.

What are green jobs?

While there is no universal definition yet in place, ‘green jobs’ have been described as “those jobs that facilitate meeting net zero and broader environmental goals”, according to the “Green Jobs and Skills in London” report by the economics consultancy WPI Economics. Although this report specifically focused on the nature and scale of green jobs in the London area, there is much to be learnt from its findings that could impact employment elsewhere in the UK in the coming decades.

Within the capital, the report defines 11 specific sectors where there will be opportunities to create jobs and, by 2050, four of these sectors are expected to provide 9 in 10 of central London’s green jobs. These are:

• Green Finance
• Power
• Homes and Buildings
• Low Carbon Transport

While the balance will be different for each location, the scale of the change across the UK will be significant.

The green jobs reach

This transition to green jobs will have an impact across a wide range of roles. Over the course of the next decade, the numbers of people employed in green roles is expected to increase whilst the numbers employed in carbon-intensive industries is likely to decline.

In order to help facilitate the move towards an economy where there are more green jobs available, there will need to be considerable levels of investment. Much of this investment will need to be directed towards training, with a specific focus on employers already in the green sector re-training their current employees to develop the relevant skills that will be needed in the future. Benefiting from the opportunities presented by the green economy will only be possible if the workforce is equipped with the right skills.

The growing workforce

The other aspect to consider is those people who will be joining the workforce for the first time, whether from further education or higher education. If employers are to meet the projected expansion requirements for the green sector, then they will need to look to attract those leaving full-time education who may have some of the potentially relevant skills already. Data in the WPI Economics report shows that across London currently, only around 1,400 education leavers per year are, in fact, recruited into the green sector. With a more than ten-fold increase in recruitment from this area required in the capital, employers have a challenge ahead if they are to meet the required levels.

The analysis suggests that education provision within those subjects and courses that could be relevant for the green jobs market needs to be increased - and urgently. This is in addition to the investment required to retrain those currently in non-green jobs. Many people will need to upskill to meet the rapid and necessary expansion within the sector over the course of the next couple of decades.

The overall impact

The transition to green jobs will, undoubtedly, result in significant changes to many people’s jobs. As such, ensuring that the transition to net zero harnesses opportunities, but does not leave communities behind, is critical. Making the right connections between educators and employers will be a vital part of getting this right.