By DARA BUTTERFIELD
Jobs in the renewables sector are growing more than seven times faster than the national average – according to new figures published by the UK’s largest renewables association.
In the UK as a whole, employment in renewable energy increased by 9% across all sectors, bringing the total number working in the industry to 112,026. In comparison, the Office for National Statistics reported average growth of 1.2% during the same period.
Scotland, London, North West England, and the East Midlands saw particularly large increases in a number of renewable energy sectors.
The highest performing sector this year was in biomass heating, where employment increased by an average of nearly a fifth (19%) across the UK.
Dr Nina Skorupska, Chief Executive, Renewable Energy Association, said: “We are delighted to see such significant jobs growth across all technologies and industries in the renewable energy sector.
“This reflects greater confidence not only in the renewables market, but also the wider economy as a whole. Our industry offers a wealth of unique and exciting career opportunities and plays an essential part in ensuring that the UK meets its renewable energy targets.
“Whilst these new figures are extremely encouraging, it is of utmost importance that renewable energy remains a priority for the incoming government. We look forward to working with the next government to ensure that even more is done to support our industry to ensure we can continue to create more skilled jobs and maintain the important growth seen over the last couple of years.”
The increase in renewable energy employment is now outstripping growth in market values in many sectors, suggesting that recruitment is now increasing to catch up with the previous years’ growth in market values.
Full details will be launched in the second Annual REA Review Report next week and will also cover deployment and investment figures and analysis.
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