Green jobs remain a priority for Yorkshire amid economic difficulties

• Green jobs in Yorkshire have increased as a proportion of all jobs this year
• This includes increases in the financial and insurance sectors
• Clear regional differences continue to risk unequal distribution of green jobs and opportunities, as London and Southeast England continue to maintain a dominance on the total number of green jobs being advertised.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland are the only areas to see an absolute increase in green job adverts from 2022 into 2023

Green jobs across Yorkshire and the Humber have increased as a proportion of all jobs in 2023, according to the latest Green Jobs Barometer from PwC. 

Across the region, the total number of jobs advertised has decreased by almost 24%, however the proportion of green jobs advertised has marginally increased to 2.07% from 1.94% last year.

Therefore, economic uncertainty remains, and jobs for a greener future are still yet to have a strong foothold in employment in Yorkshire. 

The financial and insurance sector has seen the biggest improvement, with a 25.4% increase of green job adverts. 

Compared to other areas of the North, Yorkshire and the Humber ranks higher than the North East (1.93%) but lower than the North West (2.54%). 

Andy Ward, PwC UK’s Market Senior Partner for Leeds and Bradford, said:

“The difficult external market has created uncertainty for businesses of all types, so it’s not surprising to see the number of available jobs decrease across the majority of the country. While these numbers should be taken in the context of the economy and the period being measured, it does demonstrate that more needs to be done to ensure a more ‘green led’ employment.

“The evolution of the region’s focus from traditional manufacturing and industrial sectors is still ongoing, and reports like the Green Jobs Barometer are so important as a benchmark for progress. PwC will continue to act as a conveyer and facilitator for businesses, investors, policy makers and local leaders to collaborate on ways we can keep growing our green labour market and ensure that green growth is spread fairly across the country.”

UK picture

The number of green jobs advertised in the UK has fallen from the record levels recorded in 2022, albeit at a smaller rate than the decline seen in the UK’s job market overall, finds PwC’s latest Green Jobs Barometer. 

High interest rates and a challenging economic backdrop have seen the number of total advertised roles fall by 29%, while the number of green jobs fell by 26%. This degree of resilience of green jobs has seen their share of the UK labour market increase to 2.3% (up from 2.2% in 2022 and 1.9% in 2021). However, when accounting for the number of green jobs required across the economy to power the UK’s transition to net zero by 2050, this deceleration in overall demand, in the face of a cooling labour market, poses a potential challenge.

PwC’s Green Jobs Barometer, now in its third year, has identified for the first time that green jobs tend to be higher quality jobs, reflecting both higher levels of pay and greater levels of job satisfaction compared to non-green roles. The higher level of pay is not simply a reflection of the skills required; the Barometer has also detected a pay premium for many entry level jobs, with 60% of occupations commanding a 23% pay premium on average for entry level green roles. The Barometer also highlighted that green jobs tend to require longer working hours and are slightly more likely than non-green roles to be based on temporary employment contracts. 

Carl Sizer, Head of Regions and Platforms at PwC, said: 

“Green jobs are a good proxy for the greening of the economy. That green jobs account for a growing proportion of the jobs market is encouraging, but we need to see a significant increase in new green jobs to meet net zero goals. A drop in the number of advertised roles is concerning given the scale of what needs to be achieved. 

“It’s more important than ever to ensure that the transition towards a low-carbon economy brings workers and communities with it. Our research also points to  the benefits of green jobs for workers, with better pay and job satisfaction, but highlights different sectors and regions that stand to be affected differently. Concerted effort will be needed to spread the benefits of green jobs and a green economy.”

Read the full report here.