Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people are employed in the gas and oil industry; and what methodology her Department uses to calculate this statistic.

The Department uses widely recognised industry estimates provided by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK). According to OEUK’s 2022 workforce estimates (https://oeuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/OEUK-Workforce-Insight-2022.pdf), oil and gas companies support around 200,000 jobs across the supply chain and wider local economy. This includes 30,000 people who are employed directly by the sector.

Information on the methodology used by OEUK to estimate workforce numbers was provided in the answer given to the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion on 25 March 2024 to Question UIN 18876.