DFE Employer Skills Survey

What is it?

The Employer Skills Survey is the main national dataset on employer demand for skills
Run by the Department for Education (DfE) since 2011 (2024 is the 7^th edition) the survey covers recruitment, skills shortages, skills gaps in the workforce, and training activity and investment by employers

Why does it matter now?

Provides a consistent national and regional picture of workforce and skills pressures
Helps track shifts in demand and training and thus is key for understanding London’s structural and sectoral skills challenges

What does the 2024 data include?

8,639 interviews with employers (having 2+ staff) across England in 2024, including 1,577 interviews in London
Smaller sample than 2022 (by design), so less local or sector granularity. See methodology document:
Survey also provides reliable trend data on key indicators – vacancies, gaps, and training activity

Summary of Findings for 2024

The number of vacancies reported by London employers declined between 2022 and 2024, in line with other data which suggested a cooling labour market.
However, the vacancy rate (vacancies as share of employment) in London remains higher than in other regions.
Skills-shortage vacancies, an indicator of unmet labour demand, declined in the capital.
At a sector level in England, skills-shortage vacancies as share of all vacancies declined but remained higher than pre-pandemic rates in certain priority sectors (Education, Construction, Arts and other services).
The number of skills gaps (existing employees not fully proficient) increased.
The proportion of employers providing training remained broadly flat, but the investment in training per employee continued to decline.

The Employer Skills Survey 2026, Fieldwork for the survey is being carried out between June 2026 and January 2027 and will be released in 2027.

GLA analysis based on Employer Skills Survey

The analysis of the Employer Skills Survey 2024 has been used in the Local Skills Improvement Plan 2026-2029 evidence base: https://www.businessldn.co.uk/documents/annex-e-gla-evidence-base-june-26

DFE Employer Skills Survey resources

Accessing the data: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/employer-skills-survey