An estimated 25,000 North Sea oil and gas jobs have been lost since the 2024 General Election as concerns grow that new renewable energy employment is not being created quickly enough to replace them.

The figures come from the North Sea Transition Taskforce, which warns that the decline of domestic oil and gas production needs to be carefully managed if workers, skills and supply chains are to transfer successfully into emerging energy industries.

Oil and gas currently supports around 115,000 jobs directly and through its UK supply chain, with the impact of the decline particularly significant in the north east of Scotland.

The taskforce argues that the central problem is one of timing, with traditional energy jobs disappearing before sufficient replacement opportunities are available in renewables.

The findings have prompted renewed criticism from the SNP, which argues UK Government energy policy is accelerating the decline of the North Sea.

SNP Energy spokesperson Graham Leadbitter MP said:

“The folly of relying on foreign imports has been made abundantly clear.

“The carbon cost is greater, the volatility is substantial and the cost to Scottish jobs runs into the thousands.

“We are ruining renewables investment while putting our energy security at risk, it is not sustainable.

“This is not about Scotland’s oil and gas or Scotland’s renewables, it is about all of Scotland’s vast energy wealth being outwith our control.”

The row comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham has authorised limited UK military assistance to Saudi Arabia following a request for support amid escalating attacks by Houthi forces.

The UK is preparing to deploy an RAF Voyager aircraft to provide defensive air to air refuelling for Saudi aircraft, with Burnham saying the intervention is intended to support regional stability and protect vital energy routes.

The SNP has sought to contrast that decision with the UK Government’s approach to domestic energy production, although the military deployment is intended to respond to an immediate security situation in the Middle East rather than directly support oil production.

Leadbitter said:

“Energy bills are set to be £1000 higher than the Labour Party promised while 25,000 North Sea jobs have been lost since 2024, that’s the price of Westminster control of our resources.”

The SNP argues independence would allow Scotland to determine its own approach to oil, gas and renewable energy, while the UK Government maintains that its energy strategy is intended to deliver a transition towards cleaner domestic power while protecting energy security.

The North Sea Transition Taskforce’s findings add another dimension to that political argument because its warning is focused on the speed at which existing employment is disappearing.

For communities and businesses whose livelihoods remain closely tied to offshore energy, the critical question is increasingly not whether the North Sea will change.

It is whether the new jobs arrive before the old ones disappear.