UK AI Jobs/Construction & Trades/Solar panel installer

Hands-on, growing

Solar panel installer

57.6K UK workers · typical pay £36,000 · entry route Entry Level / GCSEs grades 1-3. Projected growth of +12% to 2035.

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How AI is actually used here · measured · Anthropic Economic Index

29%

Augmentation

AI mostly does the task

6.2×

Time compression

~2.4h → ~24min

2.7/5

AI autonomy

how hands-off it runs

71%

Automation

of measured usage

How the collaboration splits · the six measured modes

directive 44.3%feedback loop 20.1%task iteration 16.2%learning 9.2%unclassified 8.7%validation 1.5%

What people make with AI here

explanation / answer20%document / report17%advice / recommendation10%

Real Claude.ai usage mapped to this occupation's SOC group, Apr+May 2026, CC-BY. Claude users only; task times model-estimated; augment/automate is how AI is used, not a count of jobs lost. Method →

Facts · ONS + NCS

UK workers (2024)

57.6K

Median pay

£36.0K

Our scored call · a labelled hypothesis, not a measurement

AI exposure

1 / 10

Elasticity

8.5 / 10

2035 outlook

+12%

Exposure · 1/10

Why AI can do the work

This occupation is almost entirely physical, requiring manual dexterity to install hardware on roofs and navigate unpredictable outdoor environments. While AI may assist with site surveys or design plans, the core tasks of fixing mounting systems and sealing roof fixings cannot be automated by current or near-term AI or robotics technology.

Elasticity · 8.5/10

Whether demand expands when it gets cheaper

Massive latent demand for energy independence and decarbonisation means 10x cheaper installation would trigger universal adoption across the UK's 28 million homes.

Trajectory to 2035

Headcount grows +12%, a Jevons-pattern curve.

Adoption scenario

×1.00 · Consensus

Change the scenario in the nav to reshape this curve.

Headcount projection · 2024 → 2035

Baseline 57.6K workers (2024) · % change vs baseline

Peak 2035 +12%2035 +12%

Peak headcount

2035

+12% vs 2024

2035 endpoint

+12%

64.6K workers

Time to −10%

–

Never crosses in model

Total wage pool

£2.1B

pay × jobs

Where this role lives

UK employment share by region, SOC-joined to 5241.

South East

28.7K · 13.6%

East Midlands

21.0K · 10%

Yorkshire and The Humber

20.8K · 9.9%

South West

20.2K · 9.6%

North West

18.5K · 8.8%

West Midlands

18.2K · 8.6%

East

17.8K · 8.4%

London

17.6K · 8.3%

Gender split

Majority-male role (100.0% men).

0 women · 0%167.8K men · 100%