Green Jobs and Skills Phase 1 and 2 Reports

 

In 2021 South London Partnership alongside Central London Forward, Local London and West London Alliance commissioned a 2-phased piece of research into Green Jobs. The research was carried out by WPI Economics and Institute for Employment Studies with phase 1 focusing on London as a whole, followed by phase 2 which homed in on the sub-region.

Phase 1 Report: Pan-London

The transition to net zero represents an unprecedented opportunity for the London’s economy, with the prospect of over 600,000 green jobs by 2030 and over 1m by 2050. This represents an increase of almost 350% in just three decades.

 While hundreds of thousands of green jobs will be created in the coming years, the report states that there are 390,000 jobs in carbon intensive industries in the capital that are at risk from the transition. This includes 205,000 jobs in construction and 113,000 in land transport. However, the research finds that the transition to net zero will contribute to an overall increase in jobs in the capital, with 50,000 more jobs created than lost by 2030.

Phase 2 Report: Our Sub-Region          

The growing green economy provides a considerable opportunity for South London. As we move towards Net Zero, South London will see rapid growth in green jobs as we decarbonise our homes and businesses. The research predicts that there will be a 3-fold increase in green jobs over the next 3 decades, from 19,000 in 2020 to 65,000 in 2050.

The jobs that will be created will be at all occupational levels, with a particular concentration of skilled craft roles such as plumbers and electricians. Under the high growth scenario skilled craft roles will increase by 270% to 2030 with an increase of nearly 13,000 jobs.

 Supporting residents in South London to develop the skills needed for green jobs is vital to capitalise on this opportunity for the sub-region and meet the rising skills demands of this rapidly expanding market. This will require both a significant expansion in relevant education provision with clear pathways into green sectors on leaving education whilst also supporting workers to upskill and transition into green jobs from other sectors.  

In March, SLP hosted our Green Economy week to launch the phase 2 report and instigate discourse between our local authorities, businesses, and training providers around how to co-ordinate work to maximise the sub-regional green economy. The Constructing South London SLP Programme and new Green Skills Academy are both working to co-ordinate work between businesses and training providers to maximise the construction and wider green workforces in an equitable way.