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Global and UK Renewable Energy Recruitment Trends Shaping 2026
The next 12 to 18 months will prove instrumental in shaping renewable energy recruitment in the UK for the next decade. In 2024, renewables provided over 50% of the country’s electricity for the first time, marking a significant turning point in Britain’s transition to clean energy. Now, with large scale offshore wind developments like Dogger Bank B coming online, and National Energy System Operator (NESO) accelerating grid connections and infrastructure planning, 2026 will see new records broken in the race to net-zero.
Jump To
- The Evolution of Renewable Energy Jobs in the UK
- How UK Trends Compare Internationally
- Emerging Job Categories in Green Energy
- Salary and Compensation Trends
- The Role of Energy Recruitment Companies
- Predictions for 2026 and Beyond
The Evolution of Renewable Energy Jobs in the UK
The UK’s renewable energy sector has expanded rapidly over the past three years. A shift away from fossil fuels, boosted by policy support and private investment, has led to unprecedented demand for roles in solar, offshore and onshore wind, hydroelectric, and grid innovation.
In particular:
- Solar power could support up to 35,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030, with Southern England emerging as a hotspot for utility-scale solar installations.
- Wind energy, both offshore and onshore, accounts for around 25% of the UK’s renewable energy sources. Onshore wind generation grew by around 7% in 2024, due to increased capacity and higher than average wind speeds.
- Hydroelectric and tidal energy remain niche but growing, with Scotland and the Northeast seeing most of this activity.
Emerging hubs like Teesside, the Humber, and the Moray Firth are evolving into key regions for renewable energy jobs. These locations are seeing a surge in both permanent and contract hiring, as companies seek flexible workforce solutions to meet tight development timelines.
How UK Trends Compare Internationally
The UK has made significant progress in growing its renewable capacity, but there are critical lessons to be learned from other markets. Solar investment remains behind nations like China, Spain, and Germany. While domestic uptake has grown, utility-scale deployment is still limited by infrastructure constraints. Green hydrogen is another area where the UK is behind countries such as Australia, Japan, and Germany in terms of investment and pilot-scale execution.
When it comes to broader low-carbon solutions, such as carbon capture, storage, and advanced heat networks, the UK continues to trail European leaders including Germany and the Netherlands, where integrated planning and long-term policy support have accelerated progress.
Similarly, the UK's capacity for hydroelectric generation is limited compared to Scandinavia, largely due to geographical constraints and topography. While tidal and pumped storage offer some potential, the UK's contribution to hydropower remains modest on the global stage.
Globally, energy recruitment companies are grappling with five core challenges influencing UK practices:
- Growing demand for an increasingly broad range of specialist skillsets from AI integration, cybersecurity, and environmental permitting.
- An ageing workforce particularly in engineering and technical fields, with limited talent backfill.
- Cross-border hiring. Global energy recruitment is increasingly reliant on international placements to plug skill gaps. International placements are increasingly subject to stricter immigration, safety, and compliance regulations, creating friction.
- Security and geopolitical factors that require tighter vetting, cybersecurity knowledge, and resilience planning.
- Workforce mobility challenges. While many industries have embraced remote work and global mobility, the energy sector often requires physical, site-based roles.
To compete in renewable energy recruitment the UK will need to remain competitive, not just on salary but also on culture, flexibility, and future-readiness.
Emerging Job Categories in Green Energy
The rapid scale-up of clean power projects and emerging technologies has given rise to new job roles that didn’t exist five years ago. Many of these sit at the intersection of energy, data, and engineering.
Examples include:
- Grid Integration Specialists
- Renewable Asset Cybersecurity Analysts
- Hydrogen Storage Engineers
- Sustainability Reporting Consultants
- Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Advisors
There is also a growing crossover between traditional energy and green energy jobs. Professionals with experience in oil and gas, for example, are increasingly retraining for offshore wind, subsea engineering, and carbon capture.
Recruitment agencies offering contract and interim staffing solutions are well-placed to support this talent transition by facilitating short-term project hires while longer-term skills gaps are addressed through training or international sourcing.
Salary and Compensation Trends
As the competition for talent heats up, so too does the reward structure:
- Renewable energy salaries have consistently increased across the sector, particularly for specialist and senior roles.
- Contract roles are on the rise as companies look for flexibility and specialist expertise.
- Solar project development roles have seen rising pay levels, especially in areas with high utility-scale deployment.
In terms of regional variation:
- Scotland remains strong for offshore-related roles, often linked with rotational patterns and project-based pay structures.
- The Southeast and East of England offer strong packages for solar and grid roles.
- Benefits unique to the sector, such as green travel allowances, EV allowances, relocation support, and equity options in growth-phase firms, are increasingly used to attract mid-senior talent.
The Role of Energy Recruitment Companies
When it comes to renewable energy recruitment in the UK, specialist recruitment companies must deliver strategic value. Working with a sector-specific agency brings several advantages:
- Deeper candidate networks across renewables, including passive candidates.
- Faster turnaround on niche or urgent hires via contract and interim talent pools.
- Market intelligence that informs compensation benchmarking and role design.
At Eleven, we act as an extension of your hiring team. We help you forecast, plan and secure the talent you need in an increasingly competitive market. Our Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) offering is especially suited to employers scaling rapidly, allowing us to manage your recruitment function end-to-end, while ensuring cultural fit and brand alignment.
Predictions for 2026 and Beyond
Renewable energy recruitment in the UK is on the cusp of transformative change. With 2026 set to be a milestone year, employers must prepare for a market defined by speed, complexity, and global competition.
Looking ahead, the outlook is both promising and complex:
- NESO’s 2026 spatial plan will play a crucial role in shaping future grid infrastructure and associated employment.
- AI and automation are expected to redefine roles in monitoring, asset management, and system optimisation.
- Cybersecurity will become non-negotiable, especially for grid-connected assets.
- Skills in permitting, grid connection negotiation, and environmental impact assessments will be in high demand.
However, the sector will also face contractions in certain areas, especially where automation replaces manual or operational roles. Upskilling will be vital, and so too will be agile workforce planning.
Whether you’re scaling up for a major wind project or searching for interim support during permitting delays, Eleven offers the insight, expertise, and reach to help you succeed.