Number of UK green jobs up by more than a third since 2015

The number of green jobs in the UK went up by 34.6% between 2015 and 2023, with waste, energy efficiency and renewables as the top activities.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) latest estimate, there were 690,900 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in the UK in 2023 – up from 513,300 in 2015. The ONS defines green jobs as "employment in an activity that contributes to protecting or restoring the environment, including those that mitigate or adapt to climate change". These now represent around 2.5% of all FTE jobs in the UK.

Within this broad category, waste, energy efficiency and renewables make up more than half (54.3%) of green jobs. The waste management industry has grown to be the largest green employer in the UK at 22.9% of all green FTEs, overtaking energy-efficient products in 2023 – perhaps due to a raft of new regulations on how people and businesses must handle waste. 

Increased number of jobs across several green activities

The ONS notes that the number of full-time equivalent jobs grew significantly across several types of green activities between 2015 and 2023.

Among the strongest increments, waste increased by 57,300 FTEs (56.7%), renewable energy by 43,100 FTEs (153.9%), and low-carbon transport by 24,800 FTEs (181.0%).

At the same time, certain activities shrank: recycling, for example, lost 14,100 FTEs (51.1%). “This could reflect a shift by employers towards more integrated waste management systems, rather than a reduction in recycling,” warns the ONS.

Most UK jobs are in low-emissions industries

In 2023, 12.5 million full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, or nearly half (46%) of all UK FTEs, worked in firms in the 10 industries with the lowest emissions levels, which collectively accounted for 4.4% of total emissions. These industries – which include human health and social work, wholesale and retail, administration, as well as scientific and technical professions – had an average of around 1.4 tonnes of GHG emissions per FTE employee in 2023.

In comparison, the average emissions per FTE employee across all industries was 77.6 tonnes in 2023.

Firms in five industries that made up 81.6% of total UK residence-based emissions in 2023 – electricity and gas, transportation and storage, manufacturing, agriculture and waste management – employed 15.8% of all UK FTEs in 2023.

“Some FTE employees in these highest-emission industries may have what would be considered a green job occupationally, such as a clean-tech production engineer in a firm in the manufacturing industry. However, looking at highest-emission industries is one way of identifying the level of employment in firms that are more likely to experience changes as the UK transitions towards net zero,” the ONS explains.