RenewableUK and the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC) have released a new report showing that the number of people working in the offshore wind industry has risen from just over 32,000 two years ago to nearly 40,000 today – an increase of 24%.
The Wind Industry Skills Intelligence Report 2025 has also revealed that the number of people working in onshore wind in the U.K. now stands at just over 15,000. This brings the UK’s total current wind industry workforce to over 55,000.
The report projects future job numbers by examining three potential deployment scenarios for offshore wind in 2030, with installed capacities of 39 GW, 47 GW and 52 GW.
It also includes a scenario for onshore wind of 27 GW by 2030, in line with Government targets to reach clean power within the next five years.
These projections show that between 74,000 and 95,000 people will be needed to support the accelerated deployment of offshore wind by the end of the decade, while the number of jobs in onshore wind will rise to over 17,500.
This means the total UK wind workforce could reach over 112,000 by 2030. The highest numbers of new jobs are expected to be created in Scotland, the east of England and in Yorkshire and the Humber.
The report contains a number of recommendations to ensure that these new roles can be filled by people with the right qualifications, including the development of a national workforce strategy.
This should include the creation of regional training hubs in coastal communities around the UK, with a focus on training and upskilling, including fast track approaches for new entrants and those from other sectors in the skills and roles most needed by the industry.
A central workforce data observatory should be established to monitor labor supply, demand and skills gaps. Industry should work with education providers to offer apprenticeships and internship programs.
The study identifies specific jobs roles where skills shortages need to be addressed to meet the demand for workers, such as high voltage cable specialist, wind turbine technician, environmental adviser, installation engineer, planning officer and technical manager.
It highlights opportunities for workers in other parts of the energy sector with relevant experience such as oil and gas, or former military personnel, to retrain for these roles in renewables. The study also calls for further efforts to align STEM education (science, technology, engineering and maths) at secondary school and university levels more closely with the needs of the wind industry, with specialized modules being taught to students.
The report states that the number of women working across the wind industry has continued to rise year on year since 2022 to reach 22% - the offshore wind industry has a target of 33% by 2030.
The average age of people working in the industry is under 40, whereas in comparable sectors such as transport, workers are typically in their mid to late-40s, reflecting the fact that younger people are choosing careers in renewables.
“This report shows that the number of people working in high quality well-paid jobs in the wind industry onshore and offshore is set to grow even higher over the next five years, well beyond the 55,000 employed today. But it also identifies a looming skills gap which we have to address by recruiting and training enough workers to take on a wide variety of new roles in renewables though technical apprenticeships and graduate training programs.
“Industry and Government both have roles to play in ensuring that we enable experienced workers from other sectors with transferable skills to retrain so that they have a clear career pathway into renewables. We also need to foster young talent and inspire the next generation of engineers, designers, technicians and project managers to build the clean energy system of the future,” said Jane Cooper, RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive.