Upskilling the UK Workforce: United Kingdom
Selected Issues Papers, July 24, 2024
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- Upskilling the UK Workforce: United Kingdom
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Bibliographic details
- Authors: Pragyan Deb, Gloria Li
- Published: July 24, 2024
- Series: Selected Issues Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400283741.018
Summary
- Authors: Pragyan Deb, Gloria Li
- Date: July 24, 2024
- The UK workforce has larger and more chronic skills gaps than in most peer countries, with surveys reporting widespread recruitment difficulties, with implications for output, in high-skill sectors like digital and software, manufacturing, medicine and life sciences, teaching, and construction.
- This partly reflects declines in primary and post-secondary education outcomes (particularly science scores, over the past two decades) and in workplace training and apprenticeships, particularly for the young.
- The recent increase in non-EU migrants has not fully offset the adverse impact from Brexit on the availability of needed skills, including because smaller firms face more recruitment hurdles with regard to non-EU hires.
- There is an urgent need to upskill the UK workforce, both by building on ongoing efforts, as well as additional concrete measures to: (i) encourage students and young workers to join and excel in STEM; (ii) ensure adequate vocational and on the job training, particularly for the young; (iii) retain the talent produced by UKs world leading universities; (iv) upskill the existing labor force; and (v) facilitate attraction and retention of in-demand skills through adjustments to the visa regime.
Key findings and drivers
- Larger and more chronic skills gaps in the UK compared with most peer countries.
- Widespread recruitment difficulties reported in surveys, affecting output in high-skill sectors: digital and software, manufacturing, medicine and life sciences, teaching, and construction.
- Declines in primary and post-secondary education outcomes, with particular emphasis on science scores over the past two decades.
- Declines in workplace training and apprenticeships, particularly for the young.
- Post-Brexit shifts: recent increase in non-EU migrants has not fully offset adverse impacts from Brexit on availability of needed skills.
- Smaller firms face more recruitment hurdles for non-EU hires.
Policy recommendations and priority measures
- Encourage students and young workers to join and excel in STEM (as stated: (i) encourage students and young workers to join and excel in STEM).
- Ensure adequate vocational and on the job training, particularly for the young (as stated: (ii) ensure adequate vocational and on the job training, particularly for the young).
- Retain the talent produced by UKs world leading universities (as stated: (iii) retain the talent produced by UKs world leading universities).
- Upskill the existing labor force (as stated: (iv) upskill the existing labor force).
- Facilitate attraction and retention of in-demand skills through adjustments to the visa regime (as stated: (v) facilitate attraction and retention of in-demand skills through adjustments to the visa regime).
Content in this bundle
- Upskilling the UK Workforce; United Kingdom; Selected Issues Paper No. 2024/030; June 14, 2024