Warning over pace of 'green jobs' creation in Yorkshire as latest PwC research published

But that is against a backdrop of the total number of jobs being advertised dropping by almost 24 per cent regionally.

The research classifies green jobs as falling into three main areas; direct production of products and services; adapting existing products and services to being more environmentally friendly, and lastly, jobs that support a green economy indirectly.

Compared to other areas of the North, Yorkshire and the Humber ranks higher than the North East (1.93 per cent) but lower than the North West (2.54 per cent).

Nationally, 2.3 per cent of jobs are classed as ‘green’ – slightly above last year’s 2.2 per cent. Across the country, the number of total advertised roles fall by 29 per cent with green jobs dropping 26 per cent.

In Yorkshire, the financial and insurance sector has seen the biggest improvement, with a 25.4 per cent increase of green job adverts.

Andy Ward, PwC UK’s Market Senior Partner for Leeds and Bradford, said: “The difficult external market has created uncertainty for businesses of all types, so it’s not surprising to see the number of available jobs decrease across the majority of the country.

"While these numbers should be taken in the context of the economy and the period being measured, it does demonstrate that more needs to be done to ensure a more ‘green led’ employment.

“The evolution of the region’s focus from traditional manufacturing and industrial sectors is still ongoing, and reports like the Green Jobs Barometer are so important as a benchmark for progress.

"PwC will continue to act as a conveyer and facilitator for businesses, investors, policy makers and local leaders to collaborate on ways we can keep growing our green labour market and ensure that green growth is spread fairly across the country.”

Carl Sizer, Head of Regions and Platforms at PwC, said: “Green jobs are a good proxy for the greening of the economy.

"That green jobs account for a growing proportion of the jobs market is encouraging, but we need to see a significant increase in new green jobs to meet net zero goals.”

Separately, the latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: North of England survey found permanent staff placements in the wider Northern region fell for the fifth month in a row in November amidst a slight rise in demand for temporary staff.

The report was based on responses to questionnaires sent to around 150 recruitment and employment consultancies in the North of England.

Euan West, Office Senior Partner for Leeds at KPMG UK, said: “An uptick in temporary billings in November highlights that businesses in the North are leaning more on flexible workers to cover current workloads, as some employers are hesitant to commit to permanent staff which is having an impact on permanent placements.

"The survey also showed that pay pressures eased further, which is good for businesses as they grapple with increased costs across the board and it may give them some more confidence when it comes to hiring going forward if the trend continues.”