Labour failing to deliver on promise of thousands of net zero jobs

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, September 3, 2026

A report from the Resolution Foundation finds that Labour's goal to create 860,000 clean energy jobs by 2030 is unlikely to result in the promised permanent positions, especially in key industrial areas like Aberdeen and Grimsby. This shortfall threatens regional economic recovery and highlights the need for the government to improve planning and investment coordination in the green energy transition.

Labour’s commitment to generating hundreds of thousands of net-zero jobs is falling short, according to a recent analysis by the Resolution Foundation, a left-leaning think tank. The report highlights concerns over inadequate planning, infrastructure constraints, and the relatively small scale of the industry, which threaten to limit the impact of green energy employment initiatives, particularly in regions such as Aberdeen and Grimsby.

In 2025, former energy secretary Ed Miliband announced Labour’s plan to create 860,000 “good jobs” in the clean energy sector by 2030. However, the Resolution Foundation estimates that fewer than 10 percent of these positions—approximately 70,000—will be permanent roles situated in key industrial hubs like Aberdeen and Grimsby. The remaining jobs are expected either to be temporary or more broadly dispersed across the UK.

The think tank, which has affiliations with Labour, warns that ongoing debates over the extraction of Britain’s remaining oil and gas resources risk overshadowing pressing questions about the origin and distribution of future energy jobs. Its report cautions that local economies anticipating a net-zero jobs boom may face disappointment due to insufficient coordination in the transition to green industries.

Jonathan Marshall, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation, stated that employment growth in low-carbon sectors is expected to double in the coming years. He pointed to Aberdeen and Grimsby—both with existing connections to energy and industrial sectors—as having strong potential to become leaders in the net-zero transition. Nonetheless, he noted that the progress to date had been disappointing, urging the Government to take a more proactive role in directing investment and selecting regional priorities during the green energy transition.

The report also highlights local economic challenges: living standards in Aberdeen fell below the UK average in 2023 for the first time in two decades. Grimsby, which has faced economic decline since the fishing industry downturn in the 1980s, had looked to green energy as a catalyst for revitalization, but job opportunities in the sector remain limited and delayed.

In response, a Government spokesman maintained that the clean energy sector is generating increased demand for quality industrial jobs across all regions and nations, emphasizing ongoing efforts to support economic growth as part of the UK’s net-zero strategy.

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