Report

Cliff Edge: Jobs in Aberdeen, the epicentre of the UK’s energy transition

This report from UK think tank the Jobs Foundation looks at both the effect of government policy on the energy sector and on jobs and communities.

The Jobs Foundation’s first report on the connection between energy and job creation/retention, Jobs and Energy: The effect of high energy costs on the UK jobs market was published in June 2025.

We are now happy to be publishing the next tranche of our research on the energy sector, Cliff Edge: Jobs in Aberdeen, the epicentre of the UK’s energy transition. This latest report looks at both the effect of government policy on the energy sector, as well as the ramifications that has had on jobs and on communities – with the community in this case being the city of Aberdeen. It stands on a cliff edge, with the ability to move back to a safe economic space crumbling under that community’s feet.

Cliff Edge looks at three questions related to the interplay between the energy market and our labour market: Firstly, what effect is current government policy having on jobs in the energy sector, across the UK, in Scotland and particularly in Aberdeen?

Secondly, what effect is that having on a range of other important societal factors, such as social cohesion in a city like Aberdeen which is so reliant on energy sector jobs? Finally, what changes could be made to government policy to improve the situation?