The Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) has published new research which shows that the number of people working in direct and indirect jobs in the UK’s offshore wind industry is set to rise from 26,000 currently to over 69,800 by 2026. Of the 69,848 jobs by 2026, 40,700 will be direct (nearly 60%) and 29,148 will be indirect (in companies supplying other industries as well as offshore wind).
Most of the jobs will being created in the north east of England, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Anglia and Scotland. Over 80% of offshore wind jobs are currently located outside London and the south east. Scotland currently has the highest proportion (30%), Yorkshire and The Humber has 15%, the north east of England 10% and the east of England also has 10%. Forecast shows that regional percentages will be maintained at this level. At present, women make up 18% of the workforce and the industry has committed to increasing this to at least one-third by 2030 – and to reach a stretch target of 40% if possible.
The private sector will invest £60.8bn billion across the UK over the next five years in developing, constructing and operating offshore wind projects. The average annual investment will be £10.1bn between 2021 and 2026, and investment in 2026 alone will reach a peak of £10.6bn.
The Offshore Wind Skills Intelligence Report was commissioned by OWIC’s Investment In Talent Group which was set up as part of the landmark Offshore Wind Sector Deal agreed with Government in 2019. The work has been done by RenewableUK, the National Skills Academy for Rail and independent data analysts Opergy.
