Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner. The Employer Skills Survey, 2017 (ESS 2017) marks the fourth occasion that labour market intelligence (LMI) on employer skills needs has been collected on a UK-wide basis. Prior to 2010, each nation in the UK gathered their own LMI. From 2009, data gathered by the four nations have been aligned into one UK-wide Employer Skills Survey. In 2016, the Department for Education (DfE) inherited responsibility for the Employer Skills Survey from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.The Employer Skills Survey is a biennial UK-wide individual establishment telephone survey, providing the most detailed picture of training, vacancies, skills gaps, and investment in training. It sits alongside the Employer Perspectives Survey to produce insights that complement each other and are run in alternate years. The focus of the Employer Perspectives Survey is primarily outward-looking, covering provision of and engagement with the wider skills system, whereas the Employer Skills Survey is inward-looking and measures the current skills position and skill needs of employers. As in previous years, the 2017 Employer Skills Survey had two facets: the core survey, covering: business strategy, recruitment, skills gaps, training and workforce development, upskilling needs, and high performance working;the Investment in Training follow-up survey, covering the investment establishments make in training their staff.The 2017 survey is the fourth UK-wide skills survey. The study consists of a.) 87,400 telephone interviews with employers at the local establishment level; b.) 12,500 follow-up interviews with employers to capture data on Investment in Training. The study captures detailed and comprehensive information from employers on: their skills needs both from the external labour market and their existing staff; their activities to develop skills among existing employees; and their working practices. Further...