UK workforce jobs: water supply and waste management
UK workforce jobs: water supply and waste management stood at 247 thousands in Q2 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Jobs by industry and sector table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q2 1978 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Jobs by industry and sector table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce jobs by industry | |||||||||||
| E Water supply, sewerage and waste | 247 | 246 | 241 | 240 | 240 | 245 | 247 | 242 | 241 | 244 | |
| D Electricity, gas and air conditioning | 147 | 146 | 141 | 143 | 146 | 143 | 142 | 142 | 136 | 133 |
Understanding UK workforce jobs: water supply and waste management
Utility services focused on liquid processing, purification networks, refuse collection, and environmental remediation across the United Kingdom make up this employment measure. Both employee roles and self-employed positions engaged in sewage treatment, refuse disposal, material recovery, and sanitation operations are captured within the scope. Unlike office-heavy professional sectors, this category reflects technical infrastructure maintenance, heavy machinery operation, and municipal waste management teams operating across the United Kingdom.
Strong regulatory standards and long-term infrastructure contracts mean this series exhibits lower cyclical volatility than retail or leisure employment categories. Early estimates are subject to routine revisions as utility operators and municipal contractors submit updated staffing returns. Analysts should examine year-on-year changes to evaluate structural shifts in environmental compliance and waste processing capacity without distortion from short-term weather anomalies. Comparing these figures with industrial production data helps reveal how utility labour demand tracks broader material processing output.
Frequently asked questions
- What operational roles are included in the water supply and waste management series?
- The measure incorporates staff working in sewage treatment, refuse collection, recycling facilities, and environmental cleanup operations across the United Kingdom.
- Why is employment in this sector less volatile than in consumer-facing industries?
- Essential public services and strict regulatory mandates require stable, ongoing workforce numbers regardless of wider economic downturns.
- Are municipal waste workers employed by local authorities included here?
- Workers engaged in waste collection and sanitation are classified under this utility and waste category regardless of whether their employer is public or private.