Not White Collar or Blue Collar... What Does the 'Green Collar' Do? [New Jobs]

As Eco-Friendly Energy Grows in US, UK, Demand for 'Green Collar' Professionals Explodes
Retraining Oil and Gas Workers for Transition

Editor's NoteWith super-aging and ultra-low birth rates, along with the advent of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) era, new changes are occurring in the world of jobs. We introduce the world of 'New Jobs' that open paths for new challenges in working life or a second act in life.

Despite numerous adverse factors such as international oil price instability, soaring inflation, and interest rate hikes following the Russia-Ukraine war, 'eco-friendly energy' continues to grow. Every year, the supply of offshore wind power, solar panels, and energy storage systems (ESS) is rapidly increasing.

Accordingly, the number of experts working in the 'eco-friendly industry' is also rising. Wind turbines or solar panels are not simply placed and left as is. One must select the land that offers the best power generation efficiency and plan and manage various supporting infrastructures, including transmission networks. This is why 'Green Collar' technical experts, who make the eco-friendly energy era a reality, are emphasized.

Eco-friendly Energy Continues to Grow... Increasing Demand for Green Collar Workers

The world's largest offshore wind farm, Dogger Bank in the UK. Official Dogger Bank website

Currently, the most active regions for Green Collar jobs are the United States, Europe, and other leaders in eco-friendly energy development. In the U.S., following the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), various eco-friendly power investments have been made in states like Texas and California. Although there were clouds over the massive subsidies promised by the IRA after former President Donald Trump's election, the projects already approved are enormous in scale.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the United Kingdom is flourishing with an offshore wind renaissance and making progress in the transition to eco-friendly energy. The UK islands, surrounded by the North Sea and the Dover Strait where strong winds frequently blow, are ideal locations for installing large turbines offshore to increase power generation. As of 2024, more than 12 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power are operational in the UK, already ranking second in the world. Considering the turbines to be added in the future, a total of 50 to 60 GW worth of massive turbines will need to be installed.

Offshore wind power plants are known to have very high engineering complexity. First, solid seabed foundations capable of supporting pillars over 100 meters tall must be found, and ultra-large turbine blades that can withstand strong winds must be manufactured. Planning the transmission network to bring the generated electricity from offshore to onshore adds further complexity. For this reason, countries like the UK have invested early in offshore wind power and have also put great effort into training Green Collar engineers.

The Core of Green Collar is 'Retraining'... Saving Oil Workers in Crisis

Green-collar workers laying subsea power cables connected up to the ground. Dogger Bank website

The biggest characteristic and core of Green Collar is 'retraining.' In the UK, a significant number of engineers working at offshore wind power facilities come from the oil and gas industry. In fact, in 2020, the UK government launched the 'Green Jobs Taskforce,' aiming to transition hundreds of thousands of oil and gas industry workers to Green Collar jobs within the next 10 years, escaping from a total of 2 million high-paying jobs.

Offshore wind and oil & gas are actually very similar. Oil drilling platforms are also installed in the middle of the sea and require complex expertise ranging from seabed exploration to geological structure analysis. These drilling experts can be 'converted' to Green Collar workers anytime with some retraining.

Above all, the Green Collar transition is also a window of opportunity for oil and gas industry workers facing crisis. The North Sea oil fields, which once contributed to the UK's energy security, have long since declined in productivity, and exploration experts already predict a 'terminal decline.' This means that up to 600,000 workers could face unemployment.

The UK experienced a major unemployment crisis in the 1980s when it closed many coal mines that had lost competitiveness. The energy transition and Green Collar represent a determined will not to repeat the mistakes of over 40 years ago.