Offshore wind attracts the scrutiny of governments, which are keen to maximise its economic benefits. Often governments want to see the creation of high-value jobs in disadvantaged regions by encouraging placing contracts with local companies. However, governments could consider an alternative approach, focussing on use of local workers rather than local firms. While there is interest in skills and workforce development, there is not often an explicit emphasis on hiring local people. While forcing local hiring is likely to be impractical for manufacturing companies, there are significant number of ‘project hires’ during development, construction and operations that could be made locally.
Developers and contractors might be concerned by initiatives to encourage local hiring, preferring to rely on a tried and tested internationally mobile workforce, but the idea has merit as an alternative to the traditional focus on local economic benefit through use of local companies. First, from an economic development perspective, a disadvantaged area may simply not have a relevant supply chain on which to draw. Promoting existing local companies would therefore have limited benefit. In the context of a just transition, it may be easier to for workers, rather than companies, to move from other industries to offshore wind. For example, offshore oil and gas companies would find it hard to move into turbine maintenance but many of their technicians could be retrained. A local worker incentive could therefore be a targeted intervention where there is significant deprivation.
A local workforce incentive could encourage retention and attract new skilled workers into the industry. There are many itinerant roles in construction with teams moving from project to project. During operations, the local link for workers has been weakened with the increasing use of service operations vessels (SOVs) for new projects. These workers are often on two-week on, two-week off shifts. Many SOV crew will lose two of their ‘off days’ in travelling to and from home. Locally recruited workers would therefore enjoy a better quality of life and boost the local economy through increasing expenditure within the region. Shorter commutes would also have an environmental benefit in terms of avoided emissions.
Two significant challenges are the intermittency of local work and the availability of experienced local offshore wind workers. The intermittency of local work is one of the reasons for an itinerant workforce during construction, but the anticipated growth of the industry would mean increasingly that there is a steady stream of local work in many areas.
The availability of experienced local workers is a challenge but there is a useful precedent in New York, where the workforce is heavily unionised and projects need to use local labour. So far, it seems that with planning and engagement the challenge can be overcome.
If governments go down this path, it will be important it is implemented carefully and with close engagement with industry, but the long-term benefits could be felt by all parties.
