As we start a new year, many of us look to develop our careers - whether that’s upskilling for a promotion, or even looking for a new job in a new industry.
And as the UK moves towards our net zero goal, an industry of work continues to grow, with more people than ever before working in “green careers”. In fact, according to the ONS, in 2022 the UK employed an estimated 639,400 people in green jobs.
But what are green jobs? And how do we actually feel about the prospect of switching to a green career?
We at 100Green surveyed 1,000 UK adults to see if a green job was on the cards for them in 2025 and beyond, and uncover what’s been holding them back from making the move.
Are Brits wanting to move into green jobs?
Green jobs and careers are defined as those that contribute to protecting or restoring the environment, or jobs that help adapt to or mitigate climate change.
But green skills and roles aren’t just needed in energy and carbon industries. Environmentally positive business models are being rolled out everywhere, so you could find jobs in sustainability in plenty of sectors such as luxury goods, fashion, construction, and finance.
When we asked if they had any interest in moving into a “green” role in the future, nearly three-quarters (71%) of working Brits said they would like to move into a green job.
When applying this to UK employment figures, this means that as many as 24 million Brits could be looking at roles within green industries*.
And we found that Brits are looking to make this change as soon as they can, with over half (64%) of those looking to move into a green role saying they would want to make the move in 2025.
This means that this year we could see over 15 million people switching to green roles such as sustainability jobs and jobs in green energy industries.
Our research found those under 45 are particularly keen to move into a green career:
- 85% of 18-24 year olds would like to work in a green role - and 65% want to do this in 2025.
- 87% of 25-34 year olds would like to work in a green role - and 68% want to do this in 2025.
- 82% of 35-44 year olds would like to work in a green role - and 56% want to do this in 2025.
A further one in five (21%) are looking further into the future, and said they’re wanting to make this switch by 2026.
Does our supply of green roles match the UK’s demand?
Analysing jobs listings on the site Adzuna, we looked at over 150 keywords such as “climate”, “renewable” and “sustainability”, to see if the current scope of green jobs matched up with the demand of Brits looking to move into the industry within the next year.
In late November 2024, there were a total of 757,938 jobs listed with green keywords - with an average salary of £45,980. That’s £8k more than the current median salary in the UK, suggesting a green career could be a slightly more lucrative venture for many Brits
The top “green” keyword mentioned was “environment” with over 300,000 roles listed under the term. This was followed by “nature” (51,585), “sustainability” (49,407), “energy” (42,640) and “renewable” (16,579).
Were this the case year round (with new jobs being advertised and filled at the same rate), we could see as many as 9 million jobs with green keywords listed across 2025. Although, this is still 6 million below the number of Brits that will be on the hunt - meaning the competition could be stiff.
A previous study from Deloitte suggests that we’ll see two main types of sustainability professionals: highly specialist roles to solve technical problems, and generalist sustainability roles that work across organisations to ensure alignment with company objectives.
Across the job listings we studied, we saw a variety of abilities needed from professionals - with roles such as “Solar Energy Technicians” falling under a highly specialist role spec, versus more wider jobs such as a “Sustainability Engagement Officer” which would have a generalist focus.
However, even those without a “green” job title would still see opportunities under these job listings - for instance, even those within real estate could find a job that is adjacent to green industries.
Depending on the position, a real estate solicitor could benefit from knowledge on wind and solar energy - with the ability to specialise in areas such as clean energy initiatives and advice.
All of these jobs would have green responsibilities, but vary greatly in the scope of work and skills needed - meaning the possibility of finding a role within sustainability is endless!
What’s holding the nation’s workers back from joining green industries?
Despite the above numbers, there is still a perceived lack of opportunity within the sector. When asked why they haven’t yet made the move, nearly half of respondents (40%) said that a “lack of green jobs in general” was why they haven’t yet gone into a green role.
This may point to a lack of awareness on what could count as a “green job” and the scope of industries this can fall into.
UK workers’ next top reasons for holding off on the move are a perceived lack of local green jobs (38%), followed by a feeling of having a lack of knowledge needed to enter the sector (38%).
Locality of roles proved to be a pressing issue for many around the country, as for those in the East Midlands, North West, Scotland, South West and Wales, this was the top element holding them back from progressing into green or environmental jobs.
Our study also found that a third (32%) believe they currently lack the skills needed for a green role, meanwhile a quarter (26%) say they don’t have enough existing experience to move into the industry yet.
What are green skills?
And this lack of skills is a key element holding Brits back from progressing into these new roles. In fact, there is currently a Green Skills Gap across the UK - with a shortage of knowledge and expertise leading to less workers than there are roles, despite people wanting to move into the industry.
As mentioned, green skills are not just specific to those in specialist roles - although hard to define, green skills can be considered as “the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a society which reduces the impact of human activity on the environment”.
Green skills can fall under “hard skills” such as engineering and technical, retrofitting homes, and construction. They may also be waste management, physics or biology skills.
Compliance, monitoring and operation management are also key areas within green industries.
However, “soft skills” are also proving important for the green industry.
Skills such as critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, resilience, and even empathy are crucial to driving change. Literacy in sustainability, the ability to influence others and communication skills are key areas needed to be successful within the industry.
How can I make the move into a green job?
It’s clear that despite British workers wanting to make the move into green careers, there is a lack of awareness on the true scope of opportunity within the UK, as well as a gap in the green skills needed to progress into these industries.
More investment is needed on public awareness and engagement to help these industries thrive in the UK, but there are steps individuals can take on their own.
For those job hunting in 2025, pursuing education and upskilling in green skills is a worthwhile starting place. Whether this is just increasing your knowledge and sustainability literacy, or looking into apprenticeships and courses to really develop your technical skills, this can empower you with some key transferable skills.
Opting for more generalist sustainable roles in wider companies, or even roles that just touch on sustainability in their key responsibilities, can also be a great way to build on your existing CV, opening you up to further jobs in sustainability.
As mentioned, there is a shortage in green skills currently - so take advantage of this and build yourself up now while the demand continues to grow!