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Green jobs

Estimates of North East regional employment in green occupations. Other estimates of net-zero related employment

Labour market Net Zero
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Identifying green jobs

There is currently no official UK definition of green jobs based on the industry or occupation of employment. In the USA the O*NET Program has developed a list of occupations identified as green. These occupations can be further categorised based on how they are impacted by green economy activities and technologies:

  • Green new and emerging, where the green economy creates the need for unique work and worker requirements, leading to new occupations.
  • Green enhanced skills, where the result is a significant change to the work and worker requirements of an existing occupation.
  • Green increased demand, which see additional employment demand due to the green economy, but no significant changes in the work and worker requirements of the occupation.

Because the UK labour market is smaller than that of the USA, the total number of occupations in the standard classification (SOC2020) is also smaller. Hence, UK definitions of green occupations are based on a best-fit match with the US equivalents and some that are defined as green are within more than one of the three sub-categories.

Analysis by the North East Combined Authority identified that just over 70 of the 412 UK four-digit SOC2020 occupations can be matched to the more than 200 green occupations in the O*NET list. Sub-national employment estimates for this level of occupational breakdown are only available for the nine broad English regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Within this geography, the North East includes both the North East and Tees Valley combined authority areas.

Not every worker within the occupations identified as green is impacted by the green economy. Other occupations not identified as green include some workers that can be considered part of the green economy.  Hence, this list provides a method to produce an indicative estimate of the size of the workforce in green occupations rather than a definitive count.

The latest regional data is based on household labour market surveys covering the 12-month period up to and including June 2024.

North East employment in green occupations

201,000

employment in green occupations

North East region
(Jul 23-Jun 24)

17.2%

of total employment

(Jul 21-Jun 24)
annual average
England: 17.3%

66,400

in new and emerging green occupations

(Jul 21-Jun 24)
annual average
North East region

117,900

in enhanced skills green occupations

101,700 in
increased demand green occupations
some jobs in 2 or 3 sub-categories

Further detail

23%

of green jobs in professional occupations

North East region (Jul 21-Jun 24)
22% in skilled trade occupations
15% in manager and director roles

40%

of skilled trade workers in green jobs

North East region
32% of managers and directors
31% of process, plant and machine operatives

22%

of green jobs in building and electrical work

North East region
14% in production and energy
14% in transport, storage and logistics

Other estimates

There is no regular sub-national estimate of the number of people working in green and net-zero industries. The ONS produces an annual estimate of the size of the UK low carbon and renewable energy economy (LCREE). This is based on a survey of UK businesses, with those reporting activity in one or more of 17 defined sectors considered part of the LCREE. The latest national estimates are for 2022, but experimental, one-off estimates for 2020 have also been produced for each of the nine English statistical regions.

In 2020, the North East region was estimated to have had full-time equivalent LCREE employment of 7,600. This included employment of about 3,400 in the two sectors producing energy efficient lighting and other energy efficient products and employment of 2,100 in the nuclear sector.

The Data City platform uses website text and machine learning to classify companies by what they do, not by what Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code was used when the company was set up. The platform uses Real-Time Industrial Classifications (RTICs) to summarise the work of companies. Data City local employment estimates for RTICs are not as accurate as business counts. This is because many companies have locations in more than one area but employment data is usually provided at company level.

In December 2024, there were about 1,000 businesses with a net-zero RTIC located in the North East combined authority area. These net-zero businesses were estimated to have just over 25,000 employees. Nationally, there were almost 22,000 such businesses with about 916,000 employees. 

Additional information

Sources of data and information

O*NET green occupations list (using American occupational codes)

O*NET green topics list

Experimental estimates of green jobs (ONS, UK level data only)

Annual Population Survey regional occupation data (ONS Nomis website)

Low carbon and renewable energy economy (annual ONS UK estimates)

The Data City (commercial platform with insights into emerging sectors)

Green occupations (SOC2020)