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Electrical workforce growth stalls in 2025 – JTL

England’s electrical workforce increased marginally from 160,200 to 161,300 in 2025, remaining 25% smaller than in 2018. 

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Electrical workforce growth has stalled despite surging demand for net zero and digital infrastructure, research from JTL found. 

England’s electrical workforce increased marginally from 160,200 to 161,300 in 2025, remaining 25% smaller than in 2018. 

Government assessment said the workforce needs to grow by more than 30,000 to keep up with demand for housing, clean energy and infrastructure.

Apprenticeship starts dropped to 7,200 in 2024/25 and are expected to fall below 7,000 this year. 

JTL said the sector needs around 12,500 apprenticeship starts each year to meet future demand. 

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The analysis highlighted a persistent achievement gap of around seven percentage points between levy and non-levy employers, linked to employment stability. 

In trade apprenticeships such as building services engineering, the gap is between 10% and 20%.

JTL called on the Government to introduce targeted incentives to help employers, especially SMEs, to take on and retain more apprentices. 

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The training provider also said public funding should be better aligned with routes leading directly into skilled employment.

Chris Claydon, CEO of JTL, said: “One year on from our original research, the message is clear: the electrical workforce is still standing still. 

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“A modest increase in the workforce estimate (less than 1%) is not enough to build the capacity needed to deliver the UK’s housing, infrastructure, clean energy and digital ambitions.

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“From grid upgrades and low-carbon technologies to the rapid growth of data centres, demand for skilled electricians and building services engineers is only increasing, but the training pipeline is not keeping pace.”

Claydon added: “Apprenticeships remain the gold standard route into a competent electrical workforce, but we need support for more starts, greater hiring incentives for SMEs and a simpler system that makes it easier for businesses to invest in apprenticeships with confidence.”

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