The UK plans to create 400,000 new clean energy jobs by 2030 to meet its energy sector targets
Solar jobs are expected to rise from 20,000 to 35,000, while offshore wind would need 100,000 workers
Focus will be on upskilling oil and gas workers, veterans, and the unemployed for 31 priority clean energy jobs
The UK government has unveiled a national plan to create 400,000 new jobs by 2030 to support the country’s clean energy sector. It will double the employment in this industry to around 860,000 by the end of this decade.
The new target will expand the country’s clean energy workforce from around 440,000 in 2023. It will entail an average annual increase of close to 10% between 2023 and 2030, required to meet the country’s energy targets.
The UK targets to install up to 47 GW solar PV capacity by 2030 under its Solar Roadmap, with the potential to install up to 57 GW by the end of this decade. By 2035, it estimates a potential to expand its solar capacity to 85 GW (see UK Unveils Solar Roadmap To Hit 47 GW Solar By 2030).
According to the UK’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan, jobs in the solar segment will need to increase to 35,000 by 2030, up from 20,000 in 2023, whereas the offshore wind will require 100,000 workers by the end of this decade. Jobs in the onshore wind segment will need to go up from 13,000 in 2023 to 45,000 by the target year.
It has identified 31 priority occupations, such as plumbers, electricians, and welders, that will be particularly in high demand. These alone represent 150,000 workers and approximately 39% of the estimated direct 2030 workforce.
The focus will be on upskilling existing workers from the oil and gas industry, ex-offenders, school-leavers, and the unemployed.
At least 1 in every 6 ex-military veterans is already armed with many skills needed for the clean energy sector, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. A collaboration with Mission Renewables will match them up with careers in solar panel installation, wind turbine factories, and nuclear power stations.
Scotland, the East of England, and North-West England are expected to see the highest demand, according to the report’s assessment. Scotland has the highest share of around 55,000 to 60,000 direct jobs by 2030. The East of England will seek 55,000 to 60,000 direct clean energy jobs, while North-West England will have 50,000 to 55,000 jobs by 2030. More indirect jobs will also be created nationwide, which will be in supply chains and enabling networks for various clean energy technologies.
“Our plans will help create an economy in which there is no need to leave your hometown just to find a decent job. Thanks to this government’s commitment to clean energy, a generation of young people in our industrial heartlands can have well-paid secure jobs, from plumbers to electricians and welders,” said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. “This is a pro-worker, pro-jobs, pro-union, agenda that will deliver the national renewal our country needs.”
The complete Clean Energy Jobs Plan of the UK government can be viewed on the government website.
In a recent solar jobs report for the European Union (EU), SolarPower Europe said that in 2024, the bloc employed a record 865,000 people in the solar PV sector. Germany led with 128,000 solar jobs. It warns that growth will pause in 2025 before recovering post-2026 (see EU Solar Jobs Hit Record 865,000 But Decline Looms).
