Overview
Decarbonisation across the UK economy will rely on engineering solutions and a skilled engineering workforce. Much of the workforce tasked with delivering that transformation is already in employment, while many are now in education.
Our Net zero workforce report summarises recent research on the jobs and skills required to meet net zero emissions. It presents recommendations for addressing some of the issues found when reviewing and comparing the existing research.
Net zero workforce
Who this is for
- Policymakers
- Researchers
- Employers
- STEM outreach organisations
- Professional Engineering Institutions
Key findings
- jobs associated with the transition to a net zero economy are predominantly STEM-based
- sectors forecast to generate most new jobs are: transportation, energy, buildings and industry
- transportation (electric vehicles) forecast to generate approximately 200,000 new jobs
- energy (renewables) forecast to generate around 100,000 new jobs
- buildings (retrofit) forecast to generate around 180,000 new jobs
- industry (construction) forecast to generate approximately 350,000 new jobs
Between 135,000 and 725,000 net new jobs could be created by 2030 in low-carbon sectors, such as buildings retrofit, renewable energy generation and the manufacture of electric vehicles
— ‘A new zero workforce’ from the Climate Change Committee, May 2023
