A Gasfield’s Hollow Promise: The North Sea’s Shrinking Jobs Market

The fossil fuel industry has long touted its ability to create jobs, a claim often used to justify new drilling ventures like Jackdaw and Rosebank in the North Sea. But a recent environmental impact assessment by Adura, a joint venture between Shell and Norway’s Equinor, reveals that these projects will have an unexpectedly meager impact on employment.

According to the document, only 27 direct full-time jobs would be created at the Jackdaw gasfield. To put this number into perspective, it’s roughly equivalent to one-fifth of a standard London bus’s capacity. The assessment also notes that there will be a total of nearly 500 jobs associated with the project over its lifetime, but these figures are inflated by counting indirect and induced employment – essentially, jobs created in industries supporting the gasfield.

Industry advocates often claim that new drilling would support thousands of jobs, but this is frequently exaggerated or based on assumptions about the scale of future projects. The actual record shows that North Sea oil and gas production has been declining for two decades, with more than 90% of the region’s resources already extracted. Adura’s own estimate of direct employment at Jackdaw is a fraction of what industry advocates claim.

The UK government’s decision to push ahead with these projects raises questions about its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in renewable energy sources. Experts like Fatih Birol have warned that opening the fields would do little for the country’s energy security, as new North Sea drilling is primarily intended for export, not domestic consumption.

Green campaigners have long pointed out the contradiction between Labour’s manifesto promise to ban new oil and gas licenses and its apparent willingness to exempt Jackdaw and Rosebank from this commitment. Adura’s environmental impact assessment underestimates the scale of the problem, while highlighting some of the lowest emissions in the industry. Tessa Khan of Uplift notes that “These are companies that have made obscene profits, while our energy costs have skyrocketed.” The public would carry nearly all the costs of development through tax breaks, essentially subsidizing the fossil fuel industry.

The debate over Jackdaw and Rosebank is not just about jobs or economic benefits. It’s also a test of the UK government’s commitment to addressing the climate crisis. Will it prioritize short-term gains for the fossil fuel industry over long-term sustainability? A consultation on Jackdaw closes in August, with significant implications for the country’s energy policy.

As the world grapples with the consequences of climate change, it’s increasingly clear that new oil and gas drilling has no place in the UK’s energy mix. The Jackdaw gasfield’s hollow promise of jobs serves as a stark reminder of the industry’s dwindling relevance and its inability to deliver on its own claims.