🌎 Green Skills #11
HolonIQ is tracking reskilling and upskilling efforts as technology, decarbonization, and global dynamics reshape energy, environment, infrastructure, and mobility sectors. Targeted workforce development is key to enhancing skills, driving growth, and supporting sustainable progress.
The race to net-zero continues, but a widening green skills gap threatens to stall climate progress in major economies. In the UK, a shortage of 200,000 green-skilled workers—especially in construction, retrofitting, and ESG roles—poses a major obstacle to its 2050 net-zero ambitions. Despite a 27% growth in clean energy jobs between 2020 and 2022, demand is still outstripping supply.
Scotland and the South West lead in job density, yet the UK continues to lag behind global leaders like Germany and Sweden. Meanwhile, the EU launched Climate and Digital Skills Academies to accelerate workforce transformation across strategic sectors, and Delhi’s revised EV policy aims to create 20,000 new jobs by expanding charging networks, battery swapping systems, and electric mobility incentives to boost local employment and green innovation.
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Green Labor Market Trends
🌱 UK Faces Urgent Shortage of 200,000 Green-Skilled Workers. The UK reports a shortfall of 200,000 green-skilled professionals, especially in construction and the built-environment sectors, threatening its 2050 net-zero target. Roles in high demand include carbon auditors, ESG consultants, and retrofitting engineers.
♻️ Tata Steel to Cut 1,600 Jobs in Dutch Green Overhaul. Tata Steel Netherlands plans to cut 1,600 jobs as part of a $5.7B green steel transition, marking a major workforce shift. The restructuring, driven by decarbonization targets, reflects the broader European trend of clean industrial transformation. While job losses are expected, the move also creates opportunities for workers in clean tech, hydrogen, and advanced manufacturing through targeted upskilling.
🚗 Mass Layoffs Ripple through North America’s Auto Sector amid EV Restructuring and Trade Tensions. GM’s Ontario plant suspends operations, laying off 1,200 workers, while Stellantis pauses production, affecting over 4,500 jobs. Tariff-driven disruptions, nationalist union strategies, and rising job insecurity mark the transition. Critics call for international worker solidarity as the industry reels from volatile demand and fragmented labor responses.
Proportion of Clean Energy Job Adverts as a Share of All Online UK Job Adverts, 2014-2024
🧑🏭 Clean Energy Job Growth Outpaces: Between 2020 and 2022, clean energy jobs in the UK grew by 27%, more than five times the pace of overall employment, with over 272,000 full-time equivalents directly employed by 2022.
🏢 Strong Employer Demand: The share of clean energy job adverts in the UK has doubled since 2020, reflecting rapidly increasing demand across key sectors like renewables, heat and buildings, and smart systems.
📈 Regional Leaders: While clean energy roles are found across the UK, regions like Scotland and the South West show the highest concentrations, driven by local sector strengths such as storage systems and heat decarbonisation.
🌍 The UK Risks Falling Behind Global Leaders: Despite growth, the UK still lags behind countries like Germany, Sweden, and Denmark in renewable job intensity, underscoring the urgency to accelerate investment and workforce development.
Upskilling/Reskilling Intiatives
🤖 EU to Unveil Climate and Digital Skills Academies to Tackle Talent Shortages. The EU unveiled continent-wide plans to launch Climate and Digital Skills Academies. These institutions will train workers in AI, renewable energy, and other strategic sectors. The initiative drives green and digital transitions, aiming to address labor shortages and strengthen competitiveness through unified, future-proof skills development.
🌱 UK’s West Yorkshire Colleges Secure $3.5M for Green Skills Training. Nine colleges in West Yorkshire secured $3.5M from the UK’s Department for Education to upgrade training for green technologies. The program supports retrofitting, solar, and heat pump skills. It aligns with net-zero targets and supports employers across the region by embedding sustainability in workforce training and delivering green talent for the future.
🚙 Suzuki Launches Job Drive for 10th Pass Youth to Bridge Skill Gap in Auto Sector. Suzuki Motor Gujarat offers 500 jobs to 10th pass youth through its latest recruitment drive, with ₹15,067 monthly pay. The initiative blends employment with hands-on industrial training, equipping candidates for long-term roles in automotive manufacturing. It addresses entry-level skill shortages while opening pathways for rural and underqualified youth.
Policy Initiatives
🔋 Delhi’s EV Policy Targets 20,000 Jobs through Charging and Battery Swapping Push. Delhi’s revised EV policy targets 20,000 jobs by boosting battery swapping, expanding charging infrastructure, and supporting electric last-mile delivery. The plan includes incentives, e-auto permits, and electrification mandates to promote inclusive green mobility. It strengthens Delhi’s leadership in India’s clean transport shift while fostering local employment and sustainable urban development.
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