This research for London’s sub-regional partnerships (Central London Forward, Local London, South London Partnership and West London Alliance) considers the potential scale and nature of green jobs in London now and in the coming decades, as well as the implications this will have for skills. The research was undertaken in partnership with the Institute for Employment Studies.

We present a definition of green jobs and skills based on the activity needed to meet net zero targets and broader environmental goals. Using a range of data sources, including supervised machine learning, we quantify the number of green jobs in London currently and project potential green job growth in 11 key sectors over the next three decades, highlighting where London is well placed to seize these opportunities.

Our analysis finds that by 2030, in a central scenario there could be 505,000 green jobs in the capital (a net increase of 50,000 jobs) reaching over a million by 2050. This is up from our current estimate of 234,300 green jobs, predominantly in the Green Finance, Homes and Buildings and Power sectors.

In the next decade alone, green jobs could increase by 8% a year; this would be double the rate of growth seen in decade leading up to the Covid pandemic in the Information and Communication sector (incorporating the fast-growing digital sector). This represents substantial opportunity for the people of London, but there is also an urgent need to consider the changes in education and skills provision necessary to enable the uptake of these jobs and ensure London’s citizens can fully grasp the opportunities.

Alongside the projections, we consider the equalities and distributional challenges presented by a transition to net zero in the London context, and the opportunities a green transition offers with the right skills provision and support for those out of work or in at-risk jobs, to ultimately build a stronger and more inclusive economy.

To read the report, click here. For a slide deck summarising the findings, click here.

Published October 2021