Skills and employment in the UK: the labour market story
An assessment of the UK labour market, including skills supply and demand, use of skills at work, and skills needs in the future.
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The Labour Market Story
The Labour Market Story is an assessment by UKCES of how the UK labour market is working following recession. It draws on research by UKCES, other UK organisations and international sources to identify how the UK is performing relative to international competitors.
Contents
The Labour Market Story is an overarching narrative paper that summarises employment and skills in the UK, and four thematic briefing papers. These are
- the UK following recession
This paper analyses current and recent performance of the UK economy and its position internationally, drivers of growth, and the contribution of skills to growth. It explores changes in the labour market and identifies challenges and opportunities for the UK.
- the state of UK skills
This paper covers the supply of skills and mismatches between supply and demand for skills. It provides an analysis of the stock of skills in the labour market and identifies skills gaps, shortages, under-use and mismatches in an increasingly polarised labour market. It explores the nature and extent of skills mismatches, considers how employers, individuals and the state are investing to overcome these. The paper argues that employers need to be more involved in designing education and training courses.
- skills use at work
This paper assesses how skills are used in the workplace. It considers whether employer demand for skills is of sufficient quality and quantity to effectively utilise the skills available and move businesses up the value chain. It considers approaches to management and skills use at work, and suggests ways of raising employer demand for skills.
- skills for the future
This paper draws on recent quantitative and qualitative research to provide an analysis of future employment trends and associated skills requirements. It considers potential drivers of skills demand in the future, including globalisation, economic trends, science and technology, environmental change, and changing societal values.
Updates to this page
Published 14 August 2014Last updated 15 August 2014 + show all updates
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Updated due to slight formatting issue on the Executive Summary
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First published.