The Work Futures project explored the ways in which a net-zero transition will impact jobs, workers and communities who are often reliant on a single industry. For the steel industry what will it mean for skills and work as this high emitting sector undergoes transformation to decarbonise?
The “Implications of Steel Decarbonisation for Workers and Communities” case study, part of SYSC’s Consolidated Research Report, sought to investigate how transitioning to low carbon manufacturing could ensure a prosperous future for the region. The focus was on residents, workers and communities at the heart of the steel industry, illustrating how green growth and clean energy could support manufacturing that is rooted in the region’s history and heritage.
Key Insights
South Yorkshire is synonymous with the steel industry and places like Stocksbridge retain a strong sense of identity, rooted in its steelmaking heritage. British Steel and its predecessors have historically been central to both the economic and social life of the town, providing welfare and community functions. This issue is not limited to Stocksbridge. The steel industry in South Yorkshire has undergone significant change over the last 40-50 years. In 1971, 140,000 people were employed in the steel industry in Sheffield alone. This accounted for half of all the city’s jobs. In just over a decade this fell by more than half to 57,000 in 1987. This decline in employment numbers continued in the 1990s and 2000s. By 2024 metals production and manufacturing industries were estimated to employ around 15,000 people across South Yorkshire.
The “Implications of Steel Decarbonisation for Workers and Communities” case study uses qualitative oral history interviews with stocksbridge residents and steelworkers to illustrate the need for a just transition when decarbonising the steel industry. The project sought to understand how present day experiences and expectations are shaped by historic processes of change. If done right, transitioning to low carbon manufacturing across sectors could ensure a prosperous future for the region and its residents that embraces its history and doesn’t leave anybody behind.
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