Back to index Original on gov.scot

FOI/202500470536 · FOI · released

Substantiated facts of employment statement made by a Member of Parliament: FOI release

Published
2025-07-31
Received
2025-06-12
Responded
2025-06-24
Directorate
Chief Economist Directorate
Topic
Economy, Public sector
Exemptions
2, 3

Information requested

On 7th June 2025 Dave Doogan SNP MP tweeted using an eye catching infographic:

"New figures show that more than 47,000 jobs and £15.5 billion of output is supported by Scotland’s renewable energy industry."

Please can you point me to the substantiated facts from a trusted source like the ONS or similar for the above statement by Mr Doogan?

As a follow on question;- what percentage of these jobs are based in Scotland and undertaken by people already living in Scotland?

Response

I enclose a copy of all of the information you requested, in the form of a briefing note, which was produced by officials in the Scottish Government.

Although the numbers in the quote are not sourced, they do match those which were published in a recent report by the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI), setting out the economic impact of Scotland’s renewable energy sector. The report can be accessed via the following link: The-Economic-Impact-of-Scotlands-Renewable-Energy-Sector.pdf

The FAI report contains information on the economic impact of the renewables sector on Scotland’s economy, as broken down into the following 3 components:

1. The Direct Impact: the output and employment of renewable energy companies.

2. The Indirect Impact: the economic activity supported within the supply chains of renewable energy companies.

3. The Induced Impact: the direct and indirect effects lead to increased employment across the Scottish economy, which, in turn, leads to increased wage spending. The economic activity arising from this increased spending is the induced impact.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

Attachments

Similar releases