Bristol has been revealed as the UK’s leading city for sustainability engineering jobs, with 417 roles identified and salaries estimated to be 25.2% higher than the city-wide median.

New research from the precision engineering experts at Accu has analysed UK job postings to reveal where sustainability engineering roles are most prevalent and where workers can command the biggest salary premiums.

Key findings:

• Bristol has the most sustainability engineering roles outside London, with 417 positions identified.
• Sustainability engineering roles account for 3.01% of all jobs in Bristol, the highest proportion outside London.
• 17.02% of Bristol’s engineering jobs are sustainability engineering roles.
• Manchester ranks second outside London with 396 sustainability engineering roles, followed by Birmingham with 324.
• Epsom has the highest proportion of sustainability engineering roles within its engineering workforce, at 29.90%.

Bristol leads sustainability engineering outside London

Bristol has emerged as the UK’s leading city outside London for sustainability engineering opportunities, with 417 roles identified from 13,870 total jobs.

The city’s estimated median sustainability engineering salary of £49,438 is £9,940 higher than its overall average salary of £39,498, representing a 25.2% premium.

Sustainability engineering also makes up 17.02% of Bristol’s 2,450 engineering jobs, meaning around one in six engineering roles in the city falls into the category.

Manchester follows with 396 sustainability engineering roles, while Birmingham has 324. Both cities also offer significant salary premiums, with sustainability engineering salaries sitting 25.9% and 20.2% above their respective city-wide average.

The UK’s leading cities for sustainability engineering

Edinburgh has the highest proportion of sustainability engineering roles among the cities in the table, with 18.21% of its engineering jobs in the sector, while Bristol sits at 17.02%, but it’s the town of Warrington with the highest proportion at 22.35%.

Sustainability engineering offers major salary premiums

The research also reveals substantial differences between sustainability engineering salaries and the wider jobs market.

Stockport records the largest salary premium, with sustainability engineering salaries estimated at 56.4% above the city’s overall median. Brighton follows at 53.2%, while St Albans ranks third at 51.0%.

Bristol’s 25.2% salary premium means sustainability engineers in the city have an estimated median salary almost £10,000 higher than the median across all jobs.

Sustainability engineering also pays more than engineering jobs overall in many cities. High Wycombe records the largest premium at 29.5%, followed by Stockport at 21.9% and Brighton at 15.7%.

Where sustainability engineering makes up the biggest share of engineering jobs

Looking at sustainability engineering as a proportion of each city’s engineering workforce, Epsom ranks first, with 29.90% of its 97 engineering jobs classified as sustainability engineering.

Stockport follows at 24.43%, while Chesterfield has 23.29%. Warrington and Basingstoke also have particularly high concentrations, at 22.35% and 22.33% respectively.

Bristol ranks strongly, with 17.02% of its 2,450 engineering jobs falling into the sustainability category.

Alastair Morris, Managing Director at Accu, comments:

“Sustainability is becoming increasingly important across almost every area of engineering, from manufacturing and construction through to energy, transport and product development.

“Bristol’s position at the top of the rankings outside London shows just how significant the city has become for engineers looking to work on more sustainable technologies and projects.

“What is particularly interesting is the salary premium attached to these roles. Businesses are clearly placing a high value on engineers who can combine technical expertise with an understanding of sustainability.

“As the UK continues to invest in the transition towards a more sustainable economy, we expect demand for engineers with these skills to continue growing. For people considering an engineering career, sustainability could offer an increasingly attractive combination of job opportunities and earning potential.”