We use the ONS four tier classifications of skill level ranging from 1, low skilled, to 4, highly skilled. Every occupation listed under the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) correlates to a skill level, allowing us to determine the occupational skill level of each worker in the UK. These skill levels are classified “by the length of time deemed necessary for a person to become fully competent in the performance of the tasks associated with a job”.
Skill levels therefore provide a different means of assessing the requirements to fulfil a job to qualification levels – as they are influenced by both the length of time required to complete the necessary qualifications for each occupation (such as degrees, apprenticeships and NVQs), along with the length of time necessary to become fully competent in the job.
Using this classification and by deploying our own novel methodology, we find that the average occupational skill level of an employee in the UK is 2.74. Among net zero industries specifically, the average is 3.19, around 26% higher, demonstrating the considerable upskilling requirement inherent in net zero.
