Hamlyn Williams’ Post

SB 1492/HB 433 Employment Regulation is a bill that has been proposed and is currently being discussed. It has some concerning provisions that may impact our environment and our local communities. The bill seems ignores the impacts of climate change and preempts common-sense Heat Illness Prevention ordinances by local government. It limits the regulation of all terms and conditions of employment but would not prevent local governments from adopting ordinances affecting how much they pay their employees. If the House version of the bill becomes law, it could have serious consequences for workers in jurisdictions with a local minimum wage ordinance. They may be looking at pay cuts. Furthermore, the bill eliminates green energy grant programs and removes fuel efficiency as a requirement for new state vehicles. It also prohibits wind turbines and exempts natural gas pipelines up to 100 miles long from the certification process. This is particularly concerning as natural gas storage tanks can be located in the middle of our communities. Overall, these provisions of the bill may have negative impacts on our environment, our communities, and our workers.

Finding common ground for a just energy transition Labour and employer perspectives Ensuring a #JustTransition means prioritising decent jobs and safeguarding workers. Through the lens of our @IRENA #CoalitionforAction report, explore the importance of an inclusive and participatory approach in the energy sector

As part of Labour's mission to 'Make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower', the #LabourManifesto targets the creation of 650,000 jobs in the clean energy sector by 2030. That's a lot of jobs. Whilst it's not the easiest document in the world to find, I've managed to dig out a more detailed Labour report which underpins this mission (I'll post the link in the comments). One important thing to point out is that not all of these jobs will be people working in the clean energy sector. The Labour report indicates that: – 200,000 of these jobs will be 'direct' i.e. people working directly on the delivery and operation of clean energy projects. These are engineers, technicians, project managers, inspectors, production staff, equipment operators, electricians, welders, labourers etc. – 300,000 of these jobs will be 'indirect' i.e. people working throughout the wider supply chain delivering the products and services which will underpin the delivery and operation of clean energy projects. These will be people working in R&D, mining and extraction, materials processing, subcomponent manufacturing, logistics and transport, warehousing and storage, financial and legal services etc. – This leaves around 150,000 jobs – and assuming a high degree of alignment between the numbers in the report and the manifesto, these remaining jobs must be 'induced' i.e. jobs created throughout the economy via the additional spending of earnings by direct and indirect workers. Induced impacts typically reflect increased jobs in sectors such as retail, hospitality, personal services, housing, entertainment, and tourism, but in reality touch every part of the economy. Needless to say this level of jobs growth would be transformative to the UK economy. Figures for the latest available 5-year period for which ONS jobs data is available (2017–2022) suggests that less than 1 million jobs were added across the whole economy in that period. Labour are suggesting they'll achieve around two thirds of this level of growth from one sector alone. It's a bold ambition, to say the least. For my money, a big chunk of Labour's clean energy jobs target will only be deliverable if the party faces up to the four challenges I highlighted a few weeks ago: 🔗 UK supply chain capabilities ⚡️ Transmission and storage capacity 🛠️ Integrated delivery 👷🏼♀️ Skills agenda The Labour Manifesto makes a good start by promising to tackle each of these challenges (amongst a number of others). The key policy we'll be looking out for is Labour's Green Prosperity Plan, which will shape the policy agenda in the clean energy sector for the next 5 years and beyond (assuming they are elected). Let's hope it is published quickly, as there is a lot of work to be getting on with!

International Labour Day.... #solarongirdinverter #solaroffgridinverter #solarpanel #solarmodules #solarproject #solarbatteries #solarongridsystem #solaroffgridsystem #solarinstallation #solarrofftopproject #solarprojects #solargenereation #gridtieinverter #internationallabourday2024

As boomers retire, and demand for construction and renewable energy labor surges in the next decade, how do we draw the next generation in to skilled labor jobs? This is a really interesting article that describes the labor market dynamics and provides suggestions on hiring and retention practices to help us fill the need.

New data from benefits provider, Zest, reveals employers in the UK are increasing investment in #EmployeeBenefits packages as they attempt to gain a competitive edge in the race for talent. ▪️Half of employers in the UK are now investing more in their employee benefits packages in an attempt to attract talent. ▫️Four in ten businesses admit they are struggling to attract the right talent in the current market, with a third concerned they can't compete with rising salaries from competitors. ▪️Employers struggling to hire saying candidates put similar value in flexible working and benefits packages, as well as salaries. ▫️Personalised benefits packages offering employers value for money can help businesses compete with those offering higher basic salaries. To find out more, head over to BBP Media’s homepage or click the link below to read full Expert Insight! 👇🏼 https://lnkd.in/eRZG2_Cj #HealthAndWellbeing #StaffRetention #FlexibleWorking #BenefitsPackages

As the General Election nears, the construction sector seeks stability. Labour aims to build The UK’s path to net zero face a major hurdle! 🌍 Shortages of skilled ‘green collar’ workers and soaring wages are critical. In London, insulation specialists and solar installers command £70+ per hour, with annual salaries surpassing £134,000 📈 These experts earn 2.5 times more than general construction labourers due to high demand, affecting all UK regions and threatening net-zero goals. Despite challenges, construction inflation is set to drop from 4.2% in 2023 to 3.0% in 2024. Chris Sargent of Turner & Townsend stresses training and innovation to nurture a skilled workforce for the green revolution. Know someone who needs to see this? Share it! 🌱 #GreenCollar #NetZero #ConstructionIndustry #SustainableBuilding #ConstructionJobs

Top stories today ⚡ Labour plans grid supply chain ‘super-tender’ https://buff.ly/3PHa1AU The Labour Party has announced plans to hold a “super-tender” to secure the supply chain capacity to “rewire Britain”. The party said the tender would ensure Britain is at the front of the global queue and provide a clear signal to manufacturers to build up the supply chain capacity within the country. 🟢 Government urged to rule out hydrogen heating in rural areas https://buff.ly/48N7he1 The government has been urged to rule out hydrogen heating in rural areas as well as technology mixes that require extensive upgrades to both electricity and gas networks. In a new report, Citizens Advice said decisions on the future of heating should be made on an area-by-area basis, taking into account local network costs. 💧 The new trilemma posed by PR24 https://buff.ly/48JU8CB Ofwat faces a difficult trade off between affordability, financeability and deliverability in assessing water company business plans for 2025 to 2030. This is the view of commentators at PA Consulting after analysing the individual PR24 plans submitted to the regulator last week.

Power outages have long been recognised as a severe hindrance to economic development. A study conducted by Haroon Bhorat and Tim Köhler zooms in on this issue, exploring the labour market effects of loadshedding in South Africa. Their findings emphasise that loadshedding is significantly and negatively associated with employment, as well as working hours and monthly earnings for those who remain employed. While the effects are varied across firms, employment is typically the most severely impacted factor, threatening national job preservation and job creation efforts. On the bright side, the study also identified that recent developments in deregulation and tax incentives have accelerated the adoption of clean energy alternatives while long-term policies are increasingly committed to building a sustainable and resilient energy system. Click on the link below to find out more. #SouthAfrica #LoadShedding #RenewableEnergy #EnergyTransition

BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION AWARDS NEARLY $94M TO TRAIN, PREPARE DIVERSE WORKFORCE FOR GOOD JOBS CREATED BY ‘INVESTING IN AMERICA’ AGENDA Readying workers for infrastructure jobs, including union jobs, in 25 states, District of Columbia The U.S. Department of Labor announced on September 26, 2023, the award of nearly $94 million in grants to support 34 public-private partnerships to provide worker-centered sector strategy training programs in 25 states and the District of Columbia to meet workforce needs created by the Biden-Harris administration’s “Investing in America” agenda. Creating pathways to high-quality jobs, including union jobs, is a key component of Bidenomics, the President’s economic agenda, which is growing the U.S. economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not from the top down. Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program will help grant recipients design, develop and grow training programs and work-based learning opportunities that prepare job seekers for high-demand, high-quality career pathways in advanced manufacturing, information technology and professional, scientific, and technical service occupations. The training will support jobs in the renewable energy, transportation and broadband infrastructure sectors created through the administration’s infrastructure investments.  #Bidenomics #InvestingInAmerica #InfrastructureJobs #renewableenergy #transportation #broadbandinfrastructure