Four out of five UK oil and gas workers want to quit the fossil fuel industry, with a majority favouring a move to offshore wind and renewables, according to a new survey.
Campaigners Platform, Friends of the Earth Scotland and Greenpeace UK found 81% of workers they surveyed are considering leaving the oil and gas industry.
More than half of the 1,383 respondents – representing 4.5% of the UK oil and gas workforce – would be interested in retraining in offshore wind (53%) and renewables (51%), making the sectors the most popular choices for a career change, they found.
The campaigners argued that skills needed for offshore wind work closely aligns with oil and gas, but fossil fuel workers’ knowledge and expertise is as-yet untapped by the renewable industry.
Gabrielle Jeliazkov, lead campaigner for a just transition at Platform, said: “These workers are the backbone of our energy sector but have faced years of job insecurity amid volatile oil markets, lax regulation and now the global pandemic.https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1695683/why-half-oil-gas-workers-looking-offshore-wind