THE STUC slammed the government’s “market-led” approach to green energy today as analysis reveals offshore and inshore wind creates just “one job in a million.”

Research carried out by Scotland’s largest trade union body found that for every £1 million invested, just one job is created in the wind energy sector, a figure that stands in stark contrast to the oil and gas industry which generated 14.2 jobs per £1m in 2022, and 13.4 in 2023.

The analysis comes hot on the heels of the the Westminster parliament’s Scottish affairs committee’s warning on energy jobs last week.

Committee chairwoman Patricia Ferguson MP notied: “Jobs from the clean energy industry are simply not being created fast enough, or on the scale needed, to match the mounting job losses from the oil and gas sector.

“It’s vital that the government moves quickly to plug this employment gap, replaces jobs being lost and ensures a smooth energy transition for workers and communities.”

At present, Scotland’s wind sector is dominated by foreign-owned multinationals, with wind turbines being largely manufactured abroad, leaving the jobs created reliant on the relatively quick process of assembling them and the comparatively small number of workers required to maintain them.

The STUC however pointed to the 21 jobs being created for every £1m of turnover in the low emission vehicles sector as an example of how the situation could be turned around — investment in manufacturing.

Calling on the government to build domestic supply chains capable of delivering jobs as well as turbines, STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “Despite wind continuing to make up more than half of the exports, imports and turnover in the low carbon economy, there is a chronic disconnect in the number of jobs being created.

“One job created per £1 million of turnover shows that the Scottish government’s current market-led approach offshore and onshore wind is little more than hot air.  

“We need government ministers to realise that their Green Industrial Strategy, however well intentioned, is a pipe dream unless they take the bold action to have public equity stakes in our manufacturing sector which strengthen our domestic supply chains and create sustainable, truly Fair Work jobs.”

The Scottish government and the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero were contacted for comment.