Wind sector jobs increase by 91%

There has been a massive 91% increase in jobs in the UK wind industry since 2007, as overall employment in Britain has fallen by 3.4% in the same period. Of […]

There has been a massive 91% increase in jobs in the UK wind industry since 2007, as overall employment in Britain has fallen by 3.4% in the same period.

Of the 10,800 full-time employees in the industry, most work with large-scale onshore wind, followed by 29% in offshore wind. A further 7%-8% of the overall workforce is employed in small-scale wind and around the same proportion in wave and tidal energy.

The figures are revealed in a study published today by RenewableUK, which collected data from 253 companies with business activities in the wind and marine energy sectors.

RenewableUK chief executive Maria McCaffery said: “Two conclusions from the results of this remarkable study are immediately obvious: this sector has withstood the negative GDP growth of the UK recession and bucked the overall employment trend in a spectacular way by a near doubling of the workforce.

“Furthermore, the increase in jobs has, to a large extent, mirrored the increase in electricity contributions from renewable sources, chiefly wind, to the grid.”

The government announced in last year’s Spending Review that UK ports would be given further investment which some in the industry think will aid further development.

Mrs McCaffery added: “It is now obvious that acting decisively on reducing carbon emissions and diversifying our energy supply will bring a double bonanza of increased green energy yields and economic growth.”

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