State of the UK Weather and Climate Sector
Countries / Regions
United Kingdom
Partners
Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), Met Office, The Pearl
Funders
Royal Meteorological Society
Timescale
Project Team
Dr Celia Petty (PI), Prof. Rosalind Cornforth (Co-PI), Lynn De Miranda (Impact and Research Officer)
Background
The UK weather and climate sector employs thousands of people across public, private, and academic settings, generates substantial economic value, and sits at the centre of the UK’s net zero and climate adaptation agendas. Yet until now it has never been studied as a workforce. No peer-reviewed literature exists on its career pathways, workforce composition, diversity, retention, or professional development. This study addresses that gap for the first time.
Commissioned by the Royal Meteorological Society in partnership with the Met Office, the State of the UK Weather and Climate Sector study is a mixed-methods research programme designed to provide an authoritative, evidence-based account of who works in the sector, how they entered it, and what challenges and opportunities they face.
Initial findings were presented at the RMetS Annual General Meeting at Kew Gardens on 3 June 2026 (https://www.rmets.org/event/shaping-future), and the final report was launched by RMetS on 27 October 2026: https://www.rmets.org/news/landmark-report-state-uk-weather-and-climate-sector.
Our Research
The Pearl was responsible for the five primary research components of the study:
Evidence synthesis. A PRISMA 2020 systematic review of 59 sources which found almost no sector-specific peer-reviewed literature on the UK weather and climate workforce.
Stakeholder summary. Completed in January 2026, the stakeholder summary identified the sector’s organisations and communities and informed the purposive sampling for the primary research.
Sector-wide survey. Hosted on the RMetS SurveyMonkey account and distributed through the RMetS and Met Office networks (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/met-office_state-of-the-uk-weather-and-climate-sector-activity-7407729162687389697-6YQ3/), the survey covered entry routes, career progression, challenges, retention, skills, and future outlook. The survey dataset is held by the RMetS.
Focus groups. Five focus group discussions (https://www.rmets.org/state-sector-focus-group) across the public sector, academia and the private sector.
Interviews. Sixteen interviews with senior figures across the public sector, academia, and the private sector.
Our Research
The Pearl was responsible for the five primary research components of the study:
Evidence synthesis. A PRISMA 2020 systematic review of 59 sources which found almost no sector-specific peer-reviewed literature on the UK weather and climate workforce.
Stakeholder summary. Completed in January 2026, the stakeholder summary identified the sector’s organisations and communities and informed the purposive sampling for the primary research.
Sector-wide survey. Hosted on the RMetS SurveyMonkey account and distributed through the RMetS and Met Office networks (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/met-office_state-of-the-uk-weather-and-climate-sector-activity-7407729162687389697-6YQ3/), the survey covered entry routes, career progression, challenges, retention, skills, and future outlook. The survey dataset is held by the RMetS.
Focus groups. Five focus group discussions (https://www.rmets.org/state-sector-focus-group) across the public sector, academia and the private sector.
Interviews. Sixteen interviews with senior figures across the public sector, academia, and the private sector.
Our Impact
The research informed the final public report, State of the UK Weather and Climate Sector 2026 and available on the RMetS website: https://www.rmets.org/news/landmark-report-state-uk-weather-and-climate-sector.
