The UK Offshore Wind Skills Intelligence Report reveals that the sector supports over 31,000 jobs, which is a 16% increase on the 26,000 jobs reported in last year’s survey.
19,600 are direct jobs (solely in offshore wind) and 11,500 are indirect (e.g. supply chain companies which manufacture products for the offshore wind industry as well as goods for other sectors). 30% of the jobs are in Scotland, and the English region benefiting most is Yorkshire and The Humber, where 15% of the jobs are located. The study also estimates that by 2030, the industry will employ over 97,000 people in the UK (61,000 direct jobs and 36,000 indirect).
The report states that between 2022 and 2030, the industry will see £155 billion of private investment in new offshore wind projects, taking the average annual spend to over £17bn a year. This is significantly higher than the level of private investment reported last year, which showed an average annual spend of just over £10 billion. The increases reflect the enormous expansion of the UK’s total pipeline of offshore wind projects at all stages of development over the past 12 months, which now stands at 86GW. This 60% increase has been driven mainly by major leasing round announcements by The Crown Estate (8GW) and Crown Estate Scotland (25GW of ScotWind). Another significant factor is the move to annual auctions for Contracts for Difference (previously held every two years), to speed up our transition to renewable power and boost the UK’s energy security.
The study also shows that the percentage of women working in offshore wind has increased slightly from 18% reported a year ago to 19.25%. Apprentices make up 2% of the workforce, an increase of just 0.2% on a year ago due mainly to the impact of the pandemic, taking the industry closer towards its target of 2.5%.