UK losing net zero skills as workers move overseas – Daily Business

Alarming numbers of skilled workers the UK needs for the switch to clean energy are leaving the North Sea for jobs in other energy regions, according to new research.

It reveals that more than 100 firms active in Scotland’s oil and gas sector have seen staff moving abroad because of low confidence in the industry’s future and a dwindling number of projects. .

Despite the UK’s stated ambition to lead the energy transition, the 41st Energy Transition Survey, published today, shows that activity across renewables, electrification and decarbonisation technologies remains flat.

Companies warn that the current trajectory could permanently undermine the UK’s ability to deliver net zero using domestic supply chains.

The survey is produced by Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, in association with Johnston Carmichael and D2Zero.

Chamber CEO Russell Borthwick said: “This is a wake-up call for policymakers. We are training a world-class workforce and building the technology to lead the energy transition – but that talent and investment is increasingly being deployed overseas.

“You cannot deliver net zero by exporting your industrial base. If we continue to erode competitiveness through incoherent energy policy and excessive taxation, we risk offshoring the entire supply chain that is essential to the UK’s future energy system.”

For the first time in the report’s 20-year history, market fundamentals such as commodity price and demand have been displaced by UK policy as the top long-term concern for the sector.

UK tax and licensing rules are now the first and third most pressing issues cited by respondents – both factors within domestic control.

Mark Stewart, head of energy, infrastructure & sustainability at Johnston Carmichael, said: “This survey reinforces what we are hearing daily from the companies we advise: that uncertainty and inconsistency in UK energy policy are now bigger threats to investment than commodity prices or global market trends.

“The energy transition isn’t failing because of a lack of ambition – it’s failing because of a lack of execution. Businesses are ready to invest, innovate and diversify, but they need stable, predictable conditions to do so. Right now, the economics simply don’t stack up for many green projects”.

He added: “We are seeing a growing trend of skills, capital and capability moving overseas – particularly in areas like offshore wind, carbon capture and decarbonisation technologies. That’s deeply worrying, because it’s the same supply chain we’ll need to deliver a net zero system here in the UK.”

Bob Drummond, CEO of clean energy group D2Zero, said: “The UK has the talent, the technology and the track record to lead the global energy transition – but we are now at serious risk of falling behind due to fragmented thinking and short-term policymaking.”

The Chamber is calling on UK and Scottish Governments to adopt the Taskforce’s recommendations, fast-track the Acorn carbon capture project, and create the conditions needed to stimulate investment across offshore wind, hydrogen, and grid capacity.

It also believes ending the EPL by 2025 and issuing targeted new licences could unlock billions in economic activity and protect thousands of high-value jobs.