Scotland is creating a higher proportion of new green jobs than any other part of the UK, with such roles more than doubling in the last year, according to PwC.
The second edition of its Green Jobs Barometer reveals that 3.3% of all job adverts in Scotland were for those that have a positive impact on the environment - up from 1.7% last year.
Scotland has not only shown the strongest performance in respect to green job creation over both iterations of the research, the growth in green jobs last year outperformed all other regions proportionally - with a 1.6 percentage point increase.
The barometer, which first launched in November 2021, tracks movements in green job creation, job loss, carbon intensity of employment, and worker sentiment across regions and sectors.
PwC defines green jobs as work in roles that seek to either produce or provide environmentally-friendly products and services, or adapt work processes to become more environmentally-friendly, or use fewer natural resources.
The definition acknowledges that other jobs that support the green economy indirectly should be considered green, including environmental advisors - consulting, law and accounting - or experts in environmental and sustainability research and education.
Such jobs are growing at around four times the rate of the overall UK employment market, with 2.2% of all new jobs classed as green. This means the number of green jobs advertised in the UK has almost trebled in the last year, equating to 336,000 positions and providing encouragement that the economy is becoming greener.
However, while Scotland had the highest proportion of green jobs, the total number (24,610) was behind a number of regions. This is due to population density and the types of jobs in demand, but with 110,067 roles located across London and the south east, there is a risk of a north/south divide becoming more pronounced.
Around a third of all the green jobs being created today are in professional and scientific roles, which are more prevalent in the London, with an ever-growing gap in new green trades jobs which are equally vital to the net zero transition.
Jason Morris, regional market leader for PwC Scotland, said: “Our dynamic and adaptable nation has laid strong foundations, but for this momentum to continue, there must be adequate funding for re-skilling in the right areas to ensure that as we move towards net zero targets, jobs are created and sustained where they are most needed.
“From the energy sector workers in the north east to the technology being created by innovative start-ups and the strength of our financial and professional services sectors, Scotland has huge potential as a net zero economy, and we must work together to ensure this is supported.”
The demand for green jobs in Scotland is being driven by the energy sector, primarily in the north east, which has the largest pool of energy-related skills in the UK, which are highly transferable to roles in the renewables sub-sector.
For example, there is already significant investment in offshore renewables, along with developments in carbon capture, usage and storage and hydrogen.
It is predicted that as much as 90% of the oil and gas workforce would have transferable skills. Within the electricity and gas sector, the percentage of green job advertisements grew from 21.1% to 24.6% - the greatest of any sector in the same period.
PwC's report also stated that the skills transferability of the energy sector, matched with the demand for jobs in offshore wind (41,000 across the UK by 2026) and nuclear (40,000 by 2030) means that net job losses in the energy sector are set to be minimal and may not be realised until after 2030.
Jason Higgs, ESG leader with PwC Scotland, commented: “One of the main benefits for Scotland’s current workforce is the large proportion of energy sector workers with transferable skills that with the right support can move to other sectors.
“As we transition to more renewable sources of energy, Scotland has a pivotal role to play, as evidenced by the increasing investment in offshore energy, early stage investment in alternative renewable energy sources and nuclear power in Scotland.
“However, within this lies a challenge for the sector on finding enough workers for greener energy sectors and up-skilling to meet the rising demand of green skills in current roles, as opposed to a challenge of job losses.”
Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work Richard Lochhead responded that in the last couple of weeks alone there have been announcements of 600 new green jobs being created following the launch of a Scottish carbon capture project and the awarding of contracts to support the construction of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm.
“Recently, new research from the universities of Warwick and Strathclyde provided an initial upper estimate that up to 100,000 roles in Scotland are ‘new and emerging’ green jobs.
“The Scottish Government is wholly committed to a just transition to net zero and we are ensuring workers have access to the re-skilling and up-skilling they need to take on the green jobs of the future - giving employers the skilled workforce to take advantage of new opportunities.
“Our investment of £2bn in low carbon funding and our Green Jobs Fund of up to £100m further addresses the skills challenges and opportunities in supporting a just transition to net zero,” he added.
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