More than 3,000 jobs could be created in green infrastructure and care work in Great Yarmouth.
Research compiled by the Green New Deal UK shows that up to 3,170 jobs could be created in Great Yarmouth across green infrastructure and care work in the next two years if there is sufficient government investment.
The Office for National Statistics has recently published data showing that the number of young claimants in Great Yarmouth aged 18-24 years grew by 62% over the last year from 625 in February 2020 to 1,010 in February 2021.
The proportion of young people struggling for work in Great Yarmouth is much higher than the average across Norfolk, with 13.6% of this age group, compared to 8% across Norfolk and the figure is likely to grow once furlough schemes come to an end.
However, green jobs could help Great Yarmouth’s young community, which has been hit hardest by job losses during the Covid crisis.
Green New Deal data shows that new jobs could be created in sectors like offshore wind, solar energy, retrofitting homes and in social care and health – all of which are essential to the UK meeting its national and international climate targets.
The energy sector could create around 1,350 jobs in the borough in the next two years and a further 200 jobs could be created in sustainable public transport and more than 1,000 in social care services, as the percentage of over 65-year-olds in the Borough continues to grow.
Local resident and Green New Deal supporter, Paul Hendry, said: “We can achieve a win-win by tackling unemployment and climate breakdown at the same time.
"There’s an unemployment crisis and a climate crisis and a Green New Deal could create thousands of good green jobs right here in Great Yarmouth.”
Great Yarmouth Green New Deal Hub Coordinator, Maggie Brown, commented: "The government could invest in these green jobs right now to boost our economic recovery.
"If you compare what the UK is spending on green jobs with investments planned in France, Germany and the US, we are falling behind."
For more information, visit https://www.greennewdealuk.org/
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