Around one in five workers living in the East and West Midlands were employed in the UKs highest-emitting industries in 2021.

That means these two regions had a higher proportion of workers employed in those industries than the rest of England and Wales.

Those employed in high-emissions industries are generally more likely to be affected by the UK governments target to transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

We explore the characteristics of workers in these industries who live in England and Wales, using Census 2021 data. 'High-emissions industries' are those that account for the highest shares of UK emissions (of UK-registered businesses and residents), excluding emissions from households.