Thousands of electricians, engineers, welders, technicians and construction workers could be needed as Britain’s clean-energy expansion creates a major new source of employment.
New research covering the North West of England and North Wales has identified a requirement for at least 16,000 additional workers over the next four to five years, as investment in nuclear power, offshore wind, electricity networks, hydrogen, carbon capture and home energy improvements gathers pace.
The findings provide an encouraging signal for UK workers at a time when vacancies across parts of the wider economy have been under pressure.
The region already supports around 19,500 clean-energy jobs, but the workforce is forecast to exceed 30,000 by 2030 and peak at almost 35,000 jobs in 2028.
And when the much larger workforce required for home retrofit and low-carbon heating is included, demand could eventually exceed 105,000 workers by 2035.
For workers considering where Britain’s next generation of employment opportunities could emerge, energy and infrastructure are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Electricians, engineers and skilled workers needed
The opportunity is not confined to highly specialised scientists or people with university degrees.
The newly published Clean Energy Skills Regional Action Plan identifies growing demand for occupations including:
- electricians
- engineers
- welders
- pipefitters
- technicians
- heat-pump installers
- construction professionals
- project managers.
Many of these are established occupations whose skills can be transferred into expanding clean-energy industries.
That could prove particularly important for experienced workers in manufacturing, engineering, construction and traditional energy industries.
Rather than starting an entirely new career, some workers may be able to use existing skills while gaining additional qualifications or training relevant to new technologies.
It also presents opportunities for younger workers considering apprenticeships and technical careers.
The Workers Union has repeatedly highlighted the importance of training and workplace development as technology and industrial change reshape the labour market.
The clean-energy expansion demonstrates why those skills could become increasingly valuable.
Major projects are driving demand
This employment growth is not based simply on theoretical forecasts.
Large infrastructure projects are expected to require workers across the region.
They include the HyNet industrial decarbonisation cluster, offshore wind developments in the Irish Sea, electricity-network upgrades, nuclear projects, major home-retrofit programmes and the proposed Mersey Tidal Power project.
Liverpool City Region has ambitions to establish itself as part of Britain’s renewable-energy coast, combining existing strengths in wind and solar power with new technologies and infrastructure.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority says the challenge now is making sure local workers have the skills necessary to take advantage of the investment.
That distinction matters.
Announcing billions of pounds of infrastructure investment is one thing.
Ensuring British workers are trained and ready to fill the resulting jobs is another.
North West could become major employment hotspot
The regional findings form part of a much larger national shift.
The Government’s Clean Energy Jobs Plan projects particularly strong demand for clean-energy workers across several regions.
North West England alone could support around 50,000 to 55,000 direct clean-energy jobs by 2030, compared with approximately 25,000 to 30,000 in the Government’s 2023 baseline.
Scotland could have between 55,000 and 60,000 direct jobs, while the East of England is forecast to reach similar levels.
Yorkshire and the Humber, the Midlands, Wales, London and the South East are also expected to experience substantial growth.
That suggests the employment opportunity extends considerably beyond Liverpool, Cheshire and North Wales.
For workers worried that changing technology will eliminate traditional occupations, the emerging picture is therefore more complicated.
Some industries and roles will undoubtedly change.
But new infrastructure also requires people to build, install, operate, repair and maintain it.
Construction skills could be particularly valuable
One of the most striking aspects of the national employment forecast is the expected demand for skilled construction workers.
Government analysis estimates that the number of people required across skilled construction and building trades within direct clean-energy employment could rise from around 22,000 in 2023 to approximately 62,000 by 2030.
Plumbers and heating and ventilation installers are among the priority occupations.
Electricians, welders and other technically skilled workers are also expected to be in strong demand.
For construction workers, that could mean new career routes emerging alongside conventional building work.
Homes need insulation and new heating technology.
Electricity networks require upgrading.
Wind and nuclear projects require major construction.
Industrial facilities need converting.
New energy infrastructure requires continuous maintenance.
These are physical jobs that cannot simply be replaced by software.
Jobs that AI cannot easily replace
That point has become particularly significant as concern grows about artificial intelligence and employment.
We have previously examined how AI could transform employment and change the skills workers need as businesses automate administrative and knowledge-based tasks.
Clean-energy infrastructure presents a different employment dynamic.
A computer system may help design an electricity network or analyse the performance of a wind turbine.
It cannot independently travel to a construction site, install miles of cabling, weld industrial pipework, repair physical infrastructure or retrofit thousands of homes.
Local Energy and Jobs Minister Martin McCluskey specifically highlighted this distinction when the regional plan was announced, describing clean-energy employment as fast-growing work that AI simply cannot perform.
For workers deciding where to develop skills, that is worth considering.
Training will determine who benefits
The existence of thousands of potential jobs does not automatically mean employers will be able to find thousands of appropriately qualified workers.
That is why the regional plan places considerable emphasis on training.
Proposals include new pre-apprenticeship programmes, support for people returning to employment, stronger collaboration between employers and training providers, and improved careers guidance.
The Government’s wider Clean Energy Jobs Plan also identifies 31 priority occupations where additional workers will be required.
Training programmes are being developed for young people, existing workers, veterans and people looking to return to employment.
There are also plans to help experienced oil and gas workers transfer their skills into industries including offshore wind, nuclear energy and electricity networks.
That could become increasingly important as Britain’s energy mix changes.
Experienced workers should not automatically have to abandon years of technical knowledge because one part of the energy industry contracts while another expands.
Where skills are transferable, retraining should provide a bridge between the two.
Could these be well-paid jobs?
The early evidence is encouraging.
Previous Government analysis of the clean-energy workforce found that entry-level positions across many priority occupations can pay more than equivalent jobs elsewhere in the economy.
Roles in wind, nuclear power and electricity networks have also been associated with advertised average salaries exceeding £50,000.
However, workers should remain cautious about assuming every position created under the clean-energy banner will automatically provide high pay or secure employment.
The quality of the jobs matters just as much as the number created.
Workers need appropriate pay, safe workplaces, reliable hours, opportunities to develop and genuine long-term careers.
Rapidly expanding industries can create excellent opportunities, but workforce shortages can also produce pressure, excessive workloads and increased reliance on temporary labour if training fails to keep pace.
Opportunity beyond the North West
Although the latest 16,000-worker requirement concerns the North West and North Wales, the wider employment trend is national.
Offshore wind is expanding around Britain’s coastline.
New electricity infrastructure is required throughout the country.
Nuclear investment requires substantial engineering and construction work.
Millions of homes could eventually require insulation, heating upgrades and other energy-efficiency improvements.
The Government estimates that direct and indirect employment supported by clean-energy sectors could increase substantially by 2030.
That means workers should increasingly consider energy not simply as an environmental policy issue, but as an employment and skills story.
A welcome sign for UK workers
Britain’s labour market has produced plenty of difficult headlines recently.
The Workers Union recently reported that UK job vacancies had fallen for the 34th consecutive month, highlighting the increasingly competitive environment facing people searching for work.
We have also reported significant restructuring and redundancy announcements affecting workers across several industries.
Against that background, evidence of an industry preparing for a genuine shortage of workers deserves attention.
The challenge now is converting forecasts into real jobs.
Infrastructure projects must proceed.
Investment must materialise.
Training must be available.
And workers need clear routes into the occupations employers say they will require.
If that happens, Britain’s transition towards cleaner energy could become much more than an energy policy.
For thousands of electricians, engineers, welders, construction workers, technicians and young apprentices, it could become their next career.
Sixteen thousand additional workers may be required within just four to five years — and that represents an opportunity worth preparing for now.
