Half (50%) of Welsh workers would like to move green jobs – but feel there is a lack of local opportunity

As we start a new year, many Brits will be looking to develop their careers – whether that’s upskilling for a promotion, or even looking for a new job in a new industry. With searches for “new jobs” seeing an 76% increase in the last week, it’s clear Brits are gearing up for job hunting in 2025.

And with the UK moving towards our net zero goal (currently 2050), an industry of work continues to grow – “green careers”.

According to the ONS, in 2022, the UK employed an estimated 639,400 people in green jobs. But how do Brits feel about the idea of moving into green industries?

To uncover how attitudes are shifting, green energy experts at 100Green surveyed 1,000 UK adults to see how many workers would like to move to a green job, and what’s been holding them back from making this switch.

Green jobs are defined as those that contribute to protecting or restoring the environment, or jobs that help adapt to or mitigate climate change. When asked if they had any interest in moving into a “green” role in the future, half (50%) of Welsh workers would like to move into a green job.

In comparison, nearly three-quarters (71%) of working Brits said they would like to move into a green job. Applying this to UK employment figures, this means that as many as 24 million Brits could be looking at roles within green industries eventually*.

The study found that those in Wales that are looking to make this change as soon as they can, with over half (63%) of those looking to move into a green role saying they would want to do so in 2025.

While there are some exciting green opportunities within the region – with a recent £1 billion investment confirmed for a North Wales recycled paper manufacturer, creating 220 green jobs in the area – when asked why they haven’t yet made the move, half of Welsh respondents (50%) said that there was a lack of local green opportunities that was holding them back.

The next top reasons for Welsh workers holding off on making the move are a perceived lack of green jobs in general (36% vs 40% of overall UK workers) and a lack of experience and skills needed within the sector (36%).

This perceived lack of opportunity may point to a lack of awareness on what could count as a “green job” and the scope of industries this can fall into – as jobs can fall into a range of roles and skills.

However, Brits aren’t wrong when assessing their own abilites to move into green roles, as there is currently a Green Skills Gap across the UK. A documented shortage of knowledge and expertise has led to fewer workers than there are roles – despite UK adults clearly wanting to move into the industry.

Green skills can fall under “hard skills” such as engineering and technical, retrofitting homes, and construction. They may also be waste management, physics or biology skills.

However, “soft skills” are also proving important for the green industry, with skills such as critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, resilience, and even empathy are crucial for success within the industry.

Doug Stewart, Chairman at 100Green comments:

“It’s clear that despite Welsh residents wanting to make the move into the green sector, there is a lack of awareness on the true scope of opportunity within the UK, as well as a clear gap in the ‘hard’ green skills needed to progress into some industries successfully.

“So to address the latter, more investment is needed from the Government on public awareness and engagement initiatives, as well as increasing the amount of green apprenticeships, higher education and other training options across the country.

“For those job hunting in 2025, pursuing education and upskilling in green skills is a worthwhile starting place. Whether this is just increasing your knowledge and sustainability literacy, or looking into courses to really develop your technical skills, this can empower you with some key transferable skills.

“And transferable skills are a very important point for any job! Much is made of the green ‘industry’, but it’s not quite as distinct as that. You would say that at 100Green, we are part of the ‘green industry’, but we are also part of the wider energy industry, and as such we require staff in all manner of roles, from customer service through data management and credit control, not to mention accounts and finance.

“You don’t need to be a qualified environmental engineer to work for us, but as a part of an organisation involved in sustainability you still have a very green job. I don’t think all our staff come to work to save the world, but as an employee of 100Green they are playing a part in doing just that. So people shouldn’t be put off by more generalist roles.

“Opting for more generalist sustainable roles in wider companies, or even roles that just touch on sustainability in their key responsibilities can also be a great way to build on your existing CV, opening you up to further jobs in sustainability.

“As discovered in our study, there is a shortage in green skills currently – so take advantage of this, and build your own knowledge base now while the demand continues to grow.”

Credit: https://www.greenenergyuk.com/blog/news/uk-green-careers