The green transition is an enormous opportunity, and an enormous challenge. In the UK, 135,000 to 725,000 net new jobs could be created by 2030, according to analysis by the UK Climate Change Committee. Jobs created must be filled, however, and a lack of interested and available workers will impede the UK’s ability to meet its net zero goals and reduce dependency on volatile energy sources.
Green-skilled labour migration—to the UK and elsewhere—could support the green transition, and yield major benefits for both development and carbon emissions. But what skills does the UK need? How reliable are the UK’s domestic training pipelines? What are the prospects for deliberate international recruitment? How could such recruitment be structured? To answer these questions, CGD convened a roundtable of senior figures within government, industry, and research in late September. This blog summarises six key points from the discussion.