Shortage of experts and low pay 'major barriers to UK's net zero future'

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Staff shortages, a lack of specialist personnel and low pay are major barriers to achieving net zero, according to workers in the UK environment sector.

Article originally published by The Guardian. Hargreaves Lansdown is not responsible for its content or accuracy and may not share the author's views. News and research are not personal recommendations to deal. All investments can fall in value so you could get back less than you invest.

Published by

15 Aug 2023

The trade union Prospect, many members of which work in the climate and environment sector, received more than 500 responses to a survey on workplace trends.

Widespread shortages of expert staff and reductions in specialist personnel in recent years had seriously affected workload levels, the study found. Four in 10 workers said they had seen a reduction in the numbers of expert staff in the past year, and 35% said they had experienced a significant increase in workload.

More than 100 respondents provided additional comments. “I really like the people I work with and the value of the work I do,” one wrote, “but I could be paid four times as much for my skills in a different industry – one that is bad or indifferent to the environment. We can’t solve environmental problems or net zero unless we have people to do the work.”

The reduction in expertise has led to important tasks being assigned to