Incidence of training and workforce development
Three-fifths (60%) of UK employers in 2022 had funded or arranged training over the previous 12 months for their employees. This is a decrease compared to previous years since 2011, where around two-thirds (65-66%) of employers had provided training for staff.
By nation, the decline in the proportion of employers offering training can be seen earlier in England and Northern Ireland. In England, the proportion of employers providing training fell to 61% in 2019 from 66% in 2017, and in Northern Ireland fell from 63% to 59% in the same period. However, both England and Northern Ireland saw little change in 2022, compared with 2019 levels (60% in 2022 vs. 61% in 2019 in England; and 58% vs. 59% in Northern Ireland). Wales saw a consistent proportion of employers’ train between 2017 and 2019 (62%), with the proportion decreasing in 2022 (60%).
In Scotland, the 2022 survey found close to two-thirds (64%) of employers had provided training, the highest proportion among all nations. This represents a decrease since 2017 (71%).
By sector, employers in the Education (87%), Public Administration (87%) and Health and Social Work sectors (83%) were most likely to provide training to staff in the last 12 months. Conversely, 47% of employers in the Primary Sector and Utilities provided training to their staff over the same period.
With the exception of employers in the Public Administration sector, there was a decrease in employers providing training in all sectors. The largest decreases were seen among the Manufacturing (decreasing from 62% in 2017 to 54% in 2022), and Arts and Other Services sectors (decreasing from 68% in 2017 to 60% in 2022).
Likelihood of training being provided to staff increased with establishment size, ranging from 45% among employers with 2 to 4 employees to 94% among those with 250 or more employees. For employers with 2 to 4 employees, this represents a decrease from 53% providing training in 2017, the largest decrease by size group.
The survey captures two main types of training employers may provide:
- Off-the-job training: training beyond that which takes place on-the-job or as part of an individual’s normal work duties. This can be undertaken at an employer’s premises, at a provider, at home or elsewhere.
- On-the-job training: Training undertaken at the individual’s work position and covering activities that would be recognised as training by staff, rather than learning by experience which can take place all the time.
Employers may provide one or both of these types of training.
In 2022, around half (49%) of UK employers provided on-the-job training to their staff over the past 12 months; down from 53% in 2017. The proportion of employers providing off-the-job training decreased from 48% in 2017 to 39% in 2022. This represents a greater decline compared to the reduction in on-the-job training.
Around one in five (21%) UK employers offered on-the-job training only, an increase from 18% in 2017.
Proportion of staff trained
Employers in the UK had trained a total of 18.2 million staff over the previous 12 months, an increase from 17.9 million in 2017 (Table 5.1). However, the proportion of the workforce trained reduced from 62% in 2017, to 60% in 2022, as shown in Figure 5‑3.
As shown in Figure 5‑4, a larger proportion of staff in Northern Ireland and Wales received training (64% and 63% respectively), compared to employers in England or Scotland (60% and 59% respectively).
The highest proportion of staff receiving training was seen in the Education sector (77%), followed by Financial Services, Public Administration, and Health and Social Work (75%). The lowest proportion was seen within Primary Sector and Utilities (46%, decreasing from 52% in 2017), and the Construction sector (49%).
The largest increase in the proportion of staff receiving training was in the Public Administration sector, from 59% in 2017 to 75% in 2022. The largest decrease was seen in the Wholesale and Retail sector (from 58% in 2017 to 52% in 2022), and Primary Sector and Utilities (from 52% in 2017 to 46% in 2022).
As in previous years, larger employers trained a greater proportion of their staff. Among establishments with 2 to 4 employees, 36% of staff had received training, compared with 66% among establishments with 250 or more staff. Employers with 2 to 4 staff trained proportionally less staff than in 2017 (36% in 2022 vs. 42% in 2017).
Types of training provided
The most common type of training provided by employers that had trained was job specific training (84%); this was consistent with 2017. Health and safety training was the next most common form of training provided (71%), though this had decreased since 2017 (74%), as shown in Figure 5‑5. As in previous waves, larger employers were more likely to provide all forms of training compared to smaller employers.
All other forms of training provided had decreased from 2017, with the exception of more extensive induction training for staff (37% in 2022 vs. 36% in 2017).
Online or e-learning training
Around two-thirds (67%) of employers that provided training had funded or arranged online training or e-learning for their staff in the previous 12 months, up from 51% in 2017. As shown in Figure 5‑6, the largest increase was in Northern Ireland (42% in 2019 to 60% in 2022), but Northern Ireland remained less likely to provide this type of training compared to all other nations.
Primary Sector and Utilities employers were least likely to provide online training or e-learning (43%), however the proportion of employers providing this training substantially increased since 2017 (23%). Other large increases were observed in the Transport and Storage (59% in 2022 vs. 35% in 2017), and Arts and Other Services sectors (63% in 2022 vs. 42% in 2017).
Similar to previous years, the likelihood of providing online training or e-learning increased with establishment size, from 57% of establishments with 2 to 4 employees, to 94% of establishments with 250 or more employees.
Training days
Employers had provided 108 million training days over the last 12 months, equivalent to 6.0 days per year per person trained (‘per trainee’), and 3.6 days per employee, as shown below. The total number of training days provided had decreased from 2017 (114 million training days), continuing a downward trend from 2015 (118 million training days).
The number of training days per trainee was lower in 2022 than 2017 (6.0 days vs. 6.4 days), continuing a downward trend from 6.8 days in 2015. Training days per employee were also lower in 2022 (3.6 days) than 2017 (4.0) and 2015 (4.2).
By nation, 5.9 training days per trainee per annum were provided in England in 2022, similar to 2019 (6.0), but a marked decrease from 2017 (6.4 days). Northern Ireland (5.8 in 2022 vs. 5.4 in 2019) and Wales (6.8 vs. 5.1) had both seen increases in training days per trainee since 2019. Scotland had seen a moderate increase in training days since 2017 (6.7 in 2022 vs. 6.5 in 2017).