Green Jobs

Overview

The UK government aims to reach net zero by 2050. To meet this target a growing number of Green Jobs in the following sectors are needed in producing goods or services that help protect the environment and look after our natural resources:

• Renewable Energy: Offshore wind, solar, biofuels
• Home retrofit: Home retrofits, insulation, smart systems
• Nature Restoration: Tree planting, rewilding, flood resilience
• Green Construction: Sustainable building materials and methods
• Clean Transport: EVs, publish transport, logistics and electrification

Skills England June 2025, states that based on an assessment of external reviews, the Climate Change Committee estimated that the transition to net zero could create between 135,000-725,000 new jobs in low carbon industries by 2030. 

The Government announced in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan October 2025 that Clean energy will bring 400,000 extra jobs by 2030, with 31 skilled trades to be designated as priorities for recruitment and training. There will be high demand for roles including:

Technical and Skilled Trades

• Heat pump engineers
• Electricians
• Plumbers
• Welders
• Insulation installers
• Solar panel installers
• Wind turbine technicians
• EV (electric vehicle) charging point installers

Engineering and Science Roles

• Energy systems engineers
• Carbon capture and storage (CCUS) specialists
• Hydrogen engineers
• Environmental scientists
• Sustainability consultants

Construction and Retrofit

• Retrofit coordinators
• Site managers for green construction
• Low-carbon building designers
• Green infrastructure planners

Management and Strategy

• Chief sustainability officers
• Net zero transition managers
• Circular economy strategists

Nature and Land-Based Roles

• Ecologists
• Forestry and land restoration workers
• Agricultural advisors for sustainable farming

There will be opportunities for people currently working in carbon intensive industries such as gas and oil to transfer their skills and reskill for low carbon energy roles.

Whether it’s building wind farms in the North Sea and the Irish Sea, delivering new nuclear from Suffolk to Somerset, harnessing tidal power off the coast of Wales or pioneering carbon capture from Teesside to Aberdeen, the UK’s clean energy industries are booming.

By 2030 there will be 100,000 jobs in offshore wind, 45,000 jobs in onshore wind, 35,000 jobs in solar, 248,00 jobs in heat and buildings, 428,000 in other clean energy sectors such as hydrogen, nuclear.

For example the target to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028, will require an increase in trained heat pump engineers from 3000 to 27,000 by 2028.

Below are a broad range of jobs you can find across all green sectors.