UK civil nuclear job count rises by 2000
More high quality, high skilled jobs are being created by the UK's civil nuclear industry, new statistics from the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) show. Some 65,791 people are now working in the sector, an increase of more than 2000 on last year.
The NIA's Civil Nuclear Jobs Map also highlights the number of women, apprentices and graduates employed in the industry. More than one-fifth of all employees are female, almost 2000 are on an apprenticeship program and over 1000 are part of a graduate scheme.
The map, which is sub-divided both by regions and nations of the UK, and then also by each UK Parliamentary constituency, details the scope, scale and reach of employment in the civil nuclear industry.
The north west "remains the hub" of the UK's nuclear industry, employing 28,435 people, the NIA said. The south west - site of the UK's first proposed new nuclear reactor for a generation - has a workforce of 7421 people and the Scottish nuclear industry supports 3977 jobs.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the NIA, said: "The nuclear sector has been a major employer in the UK since the 1950s and the 2016 Nuclear Jobs Map highlights the vital and growing role it plays today, employing more than 65,000 people, in every part of the UK. The government has placed a renewed emphasis on creating an industrial strategy for the UK's energy future, and the figures published today show why reliable, low carbon nuclear power is an important part of that strategy."
Greatrex noted that some of these jobs are in preparation for, and part of, the UK's new build program, which he said will "secure the reliable low-carbon power needed to replace retiring power stations over the next decade".
At least 40,000 additional jobs will be created in the country's new build program, he said. These include EDF Energy's Hinkley Point C, Horizon Nuclear Power's Wylfa Newydd and NuGeneration's Moorside projects.
Greatrex said the Nuclear Jobs Map has provided the government "with 65,000 good reasons to press ahead with a new build program designed to contribute to a reliable, secure, low carbon energy mix for the future".
The NIA represents more than 260 companies including nuclear power station operators, new build developers and vendors, those engaged in decommissioning, waste management, all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, supply chain and consultancy companies.
The nuclear industry generates one-fifth of all electricity used in the UK, directly employs more than 65,000 professionals and has the support of 41% of the public. The electricity generated by the UK's existing nuclear power stations avoids the emissions of 49 million tonnes of CO2 a year.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
