5,000 Nuclear Jobs Gap as ScotGov Abandons its Industrial Workers

Scotland is missing out on around 5,000 high-quality nuclear jobs because of the Scottish Government’s refusal to back new nuclear and support Scottish firms to win work across the UK, according to the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA).

During National Apprenticeship Week, the NIA said the SNP’s decision to exclude new nuclear from Scotland’s Energy Skills Passport sends a damaging signal to apprentices, trainees and employers, undermining skills transfer, workforce mobility and long-term workforce planning.

According to the NIA’s latest figures, England has seen 43,000 new nuclear jobs over the past decade, compared with just 490 in Scotland. Had Scotland’s civil nuclear industry grown at the same rate, it would now support more than 10,000 jobs, instead of the 5,400 that exist today.

As England and Wales push ahead with new nuclear, Scotland is failing to help its own companies win work in the sector, including through the lack of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sizewell C consortium. By contrast, the Welsh Government concluded an MoU four years ago, which could lead to a £900 million investment and 4,700 jobs.

The consequences are already visible with over 1,200 Scots working on Hinkley Point C in Somerset, with more expected to work on Sizewell C and potentially Wylfa in North Wales. These roles show Scottish skills are in demand, just not supported at home.

Trade union GMB says that since 2010 Scotland has lost 15% of its industrial jobs, underlining the wider pattern of industrial decline.

The NIA is calling on the Scottish Government to:

• Include nuclear in the Energy Skills Passport to unlock apprenticeships;
• Agree a formal Sizewell C MoU to help Scottish companies access work;
• Actively support Scottish firms into the UK nuclear supply chain; and
• End political opposition that is costing Scotland thousands of skilled jobs.

Jim Mowatt, Chair, Trade Unionists for Safe Nuclear Energy (TUSNE), said:

“The Scottish Government is exporting skilled Scottish workers and killing off secure, unionised jobs because of political dogma on nuclear. This is not a just transition – it is an industrial sell-out that sacrifices apprenticeships, long-term employment and energy security, and leaves working people, specifically young Scottish men and women, paying the price.”

Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said:

“Scotland is turning its back on its industrial workers. Around 5,000 nuclear jobs that Scotland should have simply do not exist because the SNP has chosen ideology over opportunity. While England and Wales build new nuclear and create skilled jobs for the future, the Scottish Government is content to export Scottish workers and deny Scottish companies the support they need.

“Excluding nuclear from the Energy Skills Passport and refusing to help firms win work is a deliberate choice that is accelerating industrial decline and sacrificing thousands of skilled nuclear jobs on the altar of ideology.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• GMB analysis shows that between 2010 and 2022 Scotland lost 15% of its industrial jobs, the highest proportion anywhere in the UK. Source: https://www.gmb.org.uk/news/almost-200000-manufacturing-jobs-lost-2010.
• In March 2025, Torness surpassed Hunterston B’s lifetime output making it the most productive low carbon generator in Scotland.
• Since coming online in 1988, Torness has generated 307 TWh of clean electricity, enough to power every home in Scotland for 36 years, helping to avoid at least 101 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
• Torness is currently due to generate until March 2030.

About the NIA
As the trade association for the civil nuclear industry in the UK, the Nuclear Industry Association represents over 300 companies across the UK’s nuclear supply chain.

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For further information, please contact:
Iolo James
Head of Communications
[email protected]g
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