Annual Report 2025/26 - Data Updates and Analysis
Number of employees/carbon emissions
Number of employees
The number of employees in Shetland in 2024 decreased to 12,700 from 13,600 the previous year and a recent peak of 14,200 in 2021. It is difficult to know the reasons for the overall decrease; however, it may be due to the use of modelling in an area (Shetland) of relatively low population. While those are the figures for 2024, the Office for National Statistics shows that the employment rate in Shetland was 84.3% in 2023, compared to 76.6% for Great Britain and 74.7% for Scotland.
Carbon Emissions
The latest carbon emissions figures, released June 2026, relate to the year 2024.
In 2024:
- Carbon emissions in Shetland Islands Council area were 13.4 tonnes per capita compared to 4.3 for Scotland (a slight decrease on the previous year of 13.9 and 4.5 respectively);
- Carbon emissions directly impacted by the Council in Shetland were 4.2 tonnes per capita compared to 3.9 for Scotland (down from 4.7 and 4.1 respectively in the previous year).
Shetland’s carbon emissions directly impacted by the Council are higher than Scotland’s average, though not to the same extent as for the Council area as a whole. Shetland’s emissions per capita are significantly higher than Scotland’s average due to remote location, population distribution, economy and geology.
The Shetland Climate Change Strategy includes a series of short-, medium- and long-term goals. One such short-term goal is:
Clear Data – We monitor the impact of climate conscious activity, using our specialist knowledge and data
As part of the Shetland Climate Change Strategy Implementation Plan, there is a commitment to develop a mechanism for collecting, analysing and reporting on data annually. This builds on the Net Zero Route Map work and will help to show progress of climate action in Shetland. This includes inputting key Shetland climate data into the ClimateView platform, working with the Scottish Climate Intelligence Service, to make Shetland superusers. The platform will allow for monitoring and reporting on emissions annually. It is planned that this platform and data will be available from 2026, with a framework set up to allow data to be updated efficiently annually.