“no significant change” in job numbers and turnover in the low-carbon and renewable energy economy in the country since 2014. It showed that the number of green jobs across the economy, including the energy supply, manufacturing and construction sectors, reached just 207,800 in the UK, which amounted to a drop of about 28,000 during the period.
The figures prompted questions among trade unions regarding Whitehall’s commitment to boost a low-carbon economy in Britain. According to TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady, the UK had an opportunity to be a pioneer on the path to carbon neutrality. “But we will miss out on these opportunities if ministers do not step up public investment and action. And we could see existing jobs lost to other countries who modernise their industry faster,” she noted.
Although the data published by the Statistics Authority includes the first year of the pandemic, at a time when Britain’s economy took a nosedive into the deepest recession for 100 years, figures from 2019, prior to the global health crisis, show a significant decline in green businesses turnover from a year earlier. According to the report, the largest growth in sustainable employment were recorded in low-emission vehicles and infrastructure, with an increase of over 100 per cent to 19,100. However, it was not sufficient to set off bigger falls in green jobs across several other sectors. For instance, jobs in energy-efficient product manufacturing fell by 32,000, the report showed.
In terms of the entire economy, the number of green businesses operating in the country, fell by 13 per cent, during the period of six years, while a 6 per cent drop was registered in the combined turnover for the low-carbon economy, which reached £41.2 billion.
