Warning 400 North Sea jobs could go every two weeks in the next five years

Press and Journal

5 days ago

Up to 400 North Sea oil and gas jobs could vanish every two weeks over the next five years.
That's the stark warning from a new Robert Gordon University report, which has compared it to losing the entire Grangemouth refinery workforce over and over again.
It says the UK is teetering in a fragile 'goldilocks zone'- a narrow window where action now could protect and even grow energy jobs.
But the window is closing fast.
The study, Striking the Balance, urges the government to act now to prevent a steep decline in skilled roles.
With the right investment, policies and delivery, UK offshore energy jobs could grow to 210,000 by 2023.
However, without that, job numbers could fall to 125,000 – with Scotland expected to lose up to around 30,000 roles.
Professor Paul de Leeuw, director of RGU's Energy Transition Institute, said action is urgently needed.
'The analysis shows that there is a workforce 'goldilocks zone' between 2025 and 2030 during which the UK supply chain capacity and capability can be sustained, developed and invested in, so that the transferability of the offshore energy workforce is optimised,' he said.
'Key to the effective delivery of the goldilocks zone is rapid investment in UK capabilities to deliver a fast-growing programme of green capital projects, which in turn will help to realise ambitious goals for domestic execution of these projects.'
Prof de Leeuw said we need to 'follow the money' and pointed to 'massive investor uncertainty' in the negative sentiment for oil and gas in the UK and a slowdown in the wind industry.
'Where's the activity?' he asked. 'That Goldilocks zone is getting more urgent.
'There's just nowhere for the supply chain jobs to go other than overseas.'
He said government intervention was needed to get confidence back in the industry.
'The UK's lack of joined up action means that the window of opportunity for delivering a just transition is closing,' he said.
'Countries such as Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands are already successfully balancing traditional energy production with rapid expansion of renewables, a model the UK could and should emulate.
'Analysis highlights the governments can rapidly put in place policies to better manage the decline in the oil and gas sector, so that offshore energy jobs and the UK's world-class supply chain can be sustained and retained.'
Prof de Leeuw said the stakes were particularly high for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, where one in four jobs are linked to offshore energy – through direct employment or the wider supply chain.
'With investment at risk and renewables projects facing delays, the findings underline the present-day situation for the UK offshore energy industry and its stakeholders,' he said.
'The big prize of a significant jobs gain is still within our collective reach.
'Inaction or simply slow progress will mean that UK offshore energy job numbers overall could drop by almost 20% to 125,000 by 2030, making the path towards net zero even harder to negotiate.'