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A new report has found workers aged 40-65-years-old viewed ‘green jobs’* as riskier than ‘traditional’ jobs in terms of pay, security and skill requirements, which prevents them from considering them as a career option**.
The UK’s current green skills gap is estimated at 200,000 workers and cannot be bridged by new labour market entrants and early career workers alone. As such, encouraging mid- to late-career workers to switch careers is essential for meeting near-term climate goals.
In order to meet the UK’s net zero targets, encouraging workers with relevant skills and expertise to take up green jobs in the short term is pivotal. This includes mid- to late-career workers, who constitute a substantial and growing proportion of the workforce.
Approximately one third of the UK workforce is over the age of 50 and many work in sectors that are transitioning or phasing down and have valuable transferable skillsets. The report, which includes insights from two focus groups found that workers in this age group felt that green jobs were more suited to younger workers and were unfamiliar with what green jobs were. This included unfamiliarity with green jobs in sectors where net zero transition will be key, such as constructing and installing low-carbon technologies.
The focus group members also felt there were technological skills barriers to them making career switches to green jobs or sectors, and expressed more aversion to switching careers when it involved moving to a green job.
These workers were unlikely to be aware of any upskilling or retraining schemes in their local area, with worries about having to re-train a major factor in their unwillingness to consider green jobs.
Phoenix Group, the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business, is calling on the Government and business to provide better retraining, more age inclusive advertising of green jobs and to ensure employers review the pay and conditions of these roles to attract experienced midlife and over 50s workers to this growing sector, to the benefit of individuals, businesses and the UK economy.
Phoenix Group’s Patrick Thomson, Head of Research, Analysis and Policy at Phoenix Insights, comments: “Many of us will want or need to change careers before we retire to bring fresh challenges, more flexibility, or if our current role or industry doesn’t feel secure in the long-term. But too many experienced workers don’t feel able to make a change at this crucial stage in their lives.
“Employers and government, need to do more to help people plan actively to future-proof their careers and secure jobs that meet their needs. This will help more over 50s stay in good, fulfilling jobs for longer, allowing them to continue building up their savings and enter retirement with more choices available.
“In today’s world, green jobs will increasingly be part of this equation, as our economy changes to meet our climate goals. In turn, government and employers must ensure that opportunities in green sectors and jobs are inclusively and actively advertised to people of all ages, not just those starting out their careers.”
As part of Phoenix Group’s long-term efforts help over 50s stay in good, paid work for as long as they want or need, the business launched its Careers can change campaign in 2023***, which aims to inspire people in midlife to see how careers can change successfully and the steps they can take to ensure their career is working for them.
Phoenix Insights Report, in collaboration with Public First: Resourcing the net zero transition: What do workers in their mid-and-late careers think of ‘green jobs’? (October 2024) is available to download here.
Notes to editors
