Nuclear jobs surge breaks down workforce gap

An industry effort to draw more professionals into the nuclear industry is making headwinds in the UK, with more than 100,000 now working in the sector.

Recent data from the Nuclear Workforce Assessment 2025 has shown that the surge in nuclear professionals has closed the 2030 demand gap by more than half, from 40,000 to 16,000.

The assessment, put together by charity Cogent Skills, points to the work of government and industry on the UK’s Nuclear Skills Plan as the driving force for the uptick in jobs.

Mark Rouse, director of the Nuclear Skills Plan, said: “The growth of the UK nuclear workforce is a positive sign of the progress being made across the sector and the power of collaboration between government, industry and the skills and education system.”

Strong diversity

The research highlighted strong efforts for diversity across the sector. For age demographics, the number of workers aged between 20-29 rose by 53% since 2023 to more than 19,000, making up more than a quarter of the workforce.

The number of women joining the workforce has also risen in recent years by more than half since 2023 to more than 20,000.

Overall engineering professionals now make up the largest function in the nuclear sector, with employers making nearly 12,000 last year, up 35% from the previous year.

Future demand

While employment and skills diversity is looking bright for nuclear, the report warns that with a rapidly growing industry comes more demand for talent and resources.

The nuclear sector is projected to need more than 150,000 workers by 2043, which is largely driven by developing defence and civil projects in the UK, including the construction of the SSN AUKUS nuclear-based submarines and EDF’s Sizewell C.

A large worry highlighted by the report comes in the loss of legacy expertise, as more than one in four workers in nuclear are over the age of 50, with those over 60 leaving at more than twice the rate of their share of the workforce.

The Nuclear Skills Plan has laid out a strategy to retain professionals in teaching and training to effectively pass on their legacy knowledge to early career and future workers.