The shift to Net Zero has already started. Since 1990, UK emissions have decreased by about 50%; to date, the manufacturing and power sectors have led the way. A quarter of a million "green" job opportunities have been created since 2015, according to an Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate, as a result of the transition to a lower-carbon energy source. The Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) industries in the UK are estimated to employ 247,400 people, a number that has remained largely consistent since estimates began in 2015. Less than 1% of all occupations in the UK are LCREE jobs. Energy accounts for the majority of that share with 11%, followed by manufacturing and construction with 3% and 4%, respectively.[i]
The CCC report has asked three broad questions in order to understand what ‘a net zero workforce’ should or must entail.
• What is needed to ensure the workforce is equipped to deliver Net Zero?
• What is needed to protect workers and communities from potential disruptive impacts?
• How can wider opportunities presented by this economic and labour market transition be harnessed?[ii]
The report’s first step in answering these questions was to identify the position of various economic sectors within the net zero transition. These positions were broadly defined as ‘grow’, ‘transition’ and ‘adjust’. These categories were specified more deeply, as shown in the image below.
The CCC analysed the Business register and Employment survey as well as data from the ONS’s standard industrial classification work and found that the proportion of the UK’s workforce set to be affected by ‘phasing down’ in the net zero transition is 0.3%.[iii] This follows concerns voiced by think tank Demos over job losses of up to 20% in the Black country area.[iv] It is worth noting that localised impacts on jobs will likely vary across the country, but with both conditional and expected growth sectors making up 12% of the UK’s workforce, it is possible to remain hopeful that the net zero transition will have a net positive impact on overall employment.[v]
According to the National Grid, green jobs support environmental goals and the transformation of industries to low-carbon models. This might include civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers, data analysts, machine learning specialists, and skilled labourers in the energy sector, for instance. As these fields develop, new positions related to electric vehicles, hydrogen, and carbon capture technology will also rise to the fore. Other companies in various industries may invest in green jobs by ensuring that organisations have people to manage greener supply chains or to advance sustainability objectives. But in the end, it all comes down to creating a workforce that is equipped to meet difficulties head-on, seize opportunities, and advance the transition to a cleaner, greener future.[vi] The CCC’s analysis suggests that 81% of the UK’s workforce will have to adjust as part of the net zero transition; this suggests that rather than reinventing the wheel, many may find that their current jobs may require evolution rather than revolution. For example, an individual responsible for managing a fleet of vehicles may have ten years’ experience in such a role. Therefore, instead of needing to find a new individual to manage the fleet as it is electrified, upskilling the individual themselves rather than replacing them means that green skills will not have to cost experience.
A study was undertaken by the global employment firm Hays to gauge views towards upskilling. Continuous learning is "extremely important" to more than half of those polled, and 83% said they were "very much" open to learning new skills. However, employers do not recognise the frequency with which employees demonstrate their learning or the rate at which they advance, as only 73% of employers believe that their employees pick up new skills quickly Employers are also uninformed of the effort employees put in outside of the office, as evidenced by the fact that 40% of employees claim to study on a weekly basis and spend 68% of their own money on it.[vii] These findings suggest that there is an opportunity for employers to be more involved in the continued learning of their employees as well as supporting their learning financially. The positives of doing so will ensure that an organisation can realise the potential of green skills combined with experience to retain their competitiveness during the net zero transition.
At ZCA, we are committed to ensuring that businesses and organisations can ensure that each of their employees is engaged in and has knowledge about the climate crisis. Our Zero Carbon Aware accreditations give you the opportunity to embed green values at every level, ensuring that everyone from accountants to salespeople to cleaners each have net zero on their mind and is able to act accordingly.
Another avenue to explore as a business works to adjust to the net zero transition is to engage with and employ youth. Youth movements have held powerful organisations responsible for their carbon emissions, which have compelled organisations to make commitments to cut carbon emissions. 'Fridays for Future' is the most well-known of them, but many other smaller, less well-known movements address regional limitations and needs. The acceptance of emergency declarations by about 2,000 institutional entities globally, including more than 1,200 local governments, is one remarkable instance of change driven by young people.[viii] If this is what young people are capable of from outside an organisation, their capabilities to drive cultural change as part of ‘adjusting’ to net zero within an organisation are surely worth exploring.
[ii] Ibid
[iii] Ibid
[v] Ibid
[vi] CBI- Fostering green jobs and skills is key to delivering net zero
[vii] Hays- Learning Mindset Report 2022
Oscar is a recent graduate with a background in earth science. He is currently studying an MSc focussing on disaster responses, emergency planning and community resilience. His postgraduate research project will assess the link between climate crisis risk perception and attitudes to green energy projects. “Adapting to the climate crisis through the pursuit of net zero requires community engagement and understanding. Zero Carbon Academy’s goals closely align with this approach and I’m excited to have the opportunity to research and communicate a variety of topics relating to our environment and sustainability”.
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