Calendar year 2024

Employer Skills Survey

Data guidance

Published

Description

This document describes the key data from the Employer Skills Survey 2024. It adds to the previously published data from the Employer Skills Survey 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022.

The technical report should be referenced alongside this data. It provides information on sampling, data sources and the methodology used in producing the data.

Coverage

This release covers:

  • Vacancy incidence, density and volume 
  • Hard to fill vacancy incidence, density and volume 
  • Skill-shortage vacancy incidence, density and volume 
  • Skill gap incidence, density and volume 
  • Average days of training per employee and trainee, total number of training days, number and proportion of employees trained, establishments arranging and paying for training in the past 12 months, and types of training arranged and paid for
  • Vacancy measures by occupational group 
  • Employer investment in training

Data can be broken down by:

  • UK nation and English region
  • Sector (13 sector groups)
  • Single or multi-site
  • Site type
  • Site size
  • Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
  • Mayoral Combined Authority - core indicators for 2022 and 2024 only
  • Two digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) - core indicators for 2022 and 2024 only

File formats and conventions

All data files associated with this release are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.

Data files

All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.

Core indicators

Filename
core_indicators_11_24.csv
Geographic levels
National; Regional
Time period
2011 to 2024
Content
Covers vacancies, hard-to-fill vacancies, skill-shortage vacancies, skills gaps and training measures. Data can be broken down by country, region, sector, single or multi-site, site type and site size.
Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
basic_induction_training_incPercentage of sites providing basic induction training
e_learning_incPercentage of sites arranging or funding online training or e-learning in the past 12 months
employeesNumber of employees
extensive_induction_training_incPercentage of sites providing extensive induction training
has_basic_induction_trainingNumber of sites providing basic induction training
has_e_learningNumber of sites arranging or funding online training or e-learning in the past 12 months
has_extensive_induction_trainingNumber of sites providing extensive induction training
has_health_safety_trainingNumber of sites providing health and safety or first aid training
has_htfvNumber of sites with at least one hard-to-fill vacancy
has_job_specific_trainingNumber of sites providing job specific training
has_management_trainingNumber of sites providing management training
has_new_technology_trainingNumber of sites providing new technology training
has_offthejob_trainingNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any off-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_onthejob_trainingNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_onthejob_training_onlyNumber of sites that have funded or arranged only on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_skillgapNumber of sites with at least one skill gap (i.e. 1+ employee not fully proficient)
has_ssvNumber of sites with at least one skill-shortage vacancy
has_supervisory_trainingNumber of sites providing supervisory training
has_trained_baseNumber of sites in population who have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
has_training_in_generalNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
has_vacNumber of sites with at least one vacancy
health_safety_training_incPercentage of sites providing health and safety or first aid training
htfv_denHard-to-fill vacancy density (HtF vacancies as a share of vacancies)
htfv_incPercentage of sites with at least one hard-to-fill vacancy
htfv_sumNumber of hard-to-fill vacancies
job_specific_training_incPercentage of sites providing job specific training
management_training_incPercentage of sites providing management training
new_technology_training_incPercentage of sites providing new technology training
offthejob_training_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any off-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
onthejob_training_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
onthejob_training_only_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged only on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
sample_sizeUnweighted base of sites
sample_size_w_vacUnweighted base of sites with vacancies
sectorSector - Filter by sector
single_or_multi_siteSingle site or one of multiple sites within organisation - Filter by single or multi-sites
site_sizeSite size - Filter by site size
site_typeSite type - Filter by site type
skillgap_denSkill gap density (the proportion of employees judged not fully proficient)
skillgap_incPercentage of sites with at least one skill gap (i.e. 1+ employee not fully proficient)
skillgapsNumber of skill gaps (employees not fully proficient)
ssv_denSkill-shortage vacancy density (SSVs as a share of vacancies)
ssv_incPercentage of sites with at least one skill-shortage vacancy
ssv_sumNumber of skill-shortage vacancies
supervisory_training_incPercentage of sites providing supervisory training
train_days_employeeAverage number of days training per employee
train_days_traineeAverage number of days training per trainee
traineesNumber of employees trained in the past 12 months
training_daysTotal number of training days for employees
training_denPercentage of employees that received any training in the past 12 months
training_in_general_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
vac_denVacancy density (vacancies as a proportion of employment)
vac_incPercentage of sites with at least one vacancy
vac_sumNumber of vacancies
weight_baseNumber of sites in population
Footnotes
  1. Prior to 2022, the definition for ‘off-the-job training’ was ‘training away from the individual’s immediate work position, whether on the employer’s premises or elsewhere’. This should be noted when comparing the latest results to pre-2022 waves.

Investment in training

Filename
iit_11_24.csv
Geographic levels
National; Regional
Time period
2011 to 2024
Content
Covers total investment through training, as well as investment in training per employee and trainee. Original figures and figures adjusted for 2024 inflation. Indicators can be broken down by country, region, sector and site size.
Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
employeesNumber of employees
iit_sample_sizeSample size in the Investment in Training follow-up survey
sectorSector - Filter by sector
site_sizeSite size - Filter by site size
sum_off_job_mnTotal employer investment through off-the-job training
sum_on_job_mnTotal employer investment through on-the-job training
sum_total_mnTotal employer investment through all training
total_per_employeeInvestment in training per employee
total_per_traineeInvestment in training per trainee
traineesNumber of trainees
twentyfour_inflaton_sum_off_job_mnTotal employer investment through off-the-job training, adjusted for 2024 prices
twentyfour_inflaton_sum_on_job_mnTotal employer investment through on-the-job training, adjusted for 2024 prices
twentyfour_prices_sum_total_mnTotal employer investment through all training, adjusted for 2024 prices
twentyfour_prices_total_per_employeeInvestment in training per employee, adjusted for 2024 prices
twentyfour_prices_total_per_traineeInvestment in training per trainee, adjusted for 2024 prices
Footnotes
  1. Where Investment in Training figures for years preceding 2022 are presented, they may differ from those presented in earlier reports due to a change in the methodology used for calculating the labour cost up-weight. Please see Chapter 3 of the accompanying technical report for further detail.
  2. 2011 to 2022 training expenditure figures have been adjusted to reflect inflation, so that in effect they are presented in ‘2024 prices.’ The adjustments used were an uplift of 43.4% for 2011; 35.9% for 2013; 33.9% for 2015; 29.5% for 2017; 24.2% for 2019; and 10.0% for 2022. Source: ONS, Consumer price inflation tables 2025 (2025), Table 38 (opens in a new tab)

Mayoral Strategic Authorities - core indicators

Filename
mayoral_authority_core_indicators_22_24.csv
Geographic levels
English devolved area
Time period
2022 to 2024
Content
Covers vacancies, hard-to-fill vacancies, skill-shortage vacancies, skills gaps and training measures for Mayoral Strategic Authorities.
Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
basic_induction_training_incPercentage of sites providing basic induction training
e_learning_incPercentage of sites arranging or funding online training or e-learning in the past 12 months
employeesNumber of employees
extensive_induction_training_incPercentage of sites providing extensive induction training
has_basic_induction_trainingNumber of sites providing basic induction training
has_e_learningNumber of sites arranging or funding online training or e-learning in the past 12 months
has_extensive_induction_trainingNumber of sites providing extensive induction training
has_health_safety_trainingNumber of sites providing health and safety or first aid training
has_htfvNumber of sites with at least one hard-to-fill vacancy
has_job_specific_trainingNumber of sites providing job specific training
has_management_trainingNumber of sites providing management training
has_new_technology_trainingNumber of sites providing new technology training
has_offthejob_trainingNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any off-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_onthejob_trainingNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_onthejob_training_onlyNumber of sites that have funded or arranged only on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_skillgapNumber of sites with at least one skill gap (i.e. 1+ employee not fully proficient)
has_ssvNumber of sites with at least one skill-shortage vacancy
has_supervisory_trainingNumber of sites providing supervisory training
has_trained_baseNumber of sites in population who have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
has_training_in_generalNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
has_vacNumber of sites with at least one vacancy
health_safety_training_incPercentage of sites providing health and safety or first aid training
htfv_denHard-to-fill vacancy density (HtF vacancies as a share of vacancies)
htfv_incPercentage of sites with at least one hard-to-fill vacancy
htfv_sumNumber of hard-to-fill vacancies
job_specific_training_incPercentage of sites providing job specific training
management_training_incPercentage of sites providing management training
new_technology_training_incPercentage of sites providing new technology training
offthejob_training_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any off-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
onthejob_training_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
onthejob_training_only_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged only on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
sample_sizeUnweighted base of sites
sample_size_w_vacUnweighted base of sites with vacancies
skillgap_denSkill gap density (the proportion of employees judged not fully proficient)
skillgap_incPercentage of sites with at least one skill gap (i.e. 1+ employee not fully proficient)
skillgapsNumber of skill gaps (employees not fully proficient)
ssv_denSkill-shortage vacancy density (SSVs as a share of vacancies)
ssv_incPercentage of sites with at least one skill-shortage vacancy
ssv_sumNumber of skill-shortage vacancies
supervisory_training_incPercentage of sites providing supervisory training
train_days_employeeAverage number of days training per employee
train_days_traineeAverage number of days training per trainee
traineesNumber of employees trained in the past 12 months
training_daysTotal number of training days for employees
training_denPercentage of employees that received any training in the past 12 months
training_in_general_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
vac_denVacancy density (vacancies as a proportion of employment)
vac_incPercentage of sites with at least one vacancy
vac_sumNumber of vacancies
weight_baseNumber of sites in population

Two digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) - core indicators

Filename
twodigitsic_core_indicators_22_24.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2022 to 2024
Content
Covers vacancies, hard-to-fill vacancies, skill-shortage vacancies, skills gaps and training measures for two digit Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC).
Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
basic_induction_training_incPercentage of sites providing basic induction training
e_learning_incPercentage of sites arranging or funding online training or e-learning in the past 12 months
employeesNumber of employees
extensive_induction_training_incPercentage of sites providing extensive induction training
has_basic_induction_trainingNumber of sites providing basic induction training
has_e_learningNumber of sites arranging or funding online training or e-learning in the past 12 months
has_extensive_induction_trainingNumber of sites providing extensive induction training
has_health_safety_trainingNumber of sites providing health and safety or first aid training
has_htfvNumber of sites with at least one hard-to-fill vacancy
has_job_specific_trainingNumber of sites providing job specific training
has_management_trainingNumber of sites providing management training
has_new_technology_trainingNumber of sites providing new technology training
has_offthejob_trainingNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any off-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_onthejob_trainingNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_onthejob_training_onlyNumber of sites that have funded or arranged only on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
has_skillgapNumber of sites with at least one skill gap (i.e. 1+ employee not fully proficient)
has_ssvNumber of sites with at least one skill-shortage vacancy
has_supervisory_trainingNumber of sites providing supervisory training
has_trained_baseNumber of sites in population who have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
has_training_in_generalNumber of sites that have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
has_vacNumber of sites with at least one vacancy
health_safety_training_incPercentage of sites providing health and safety or first aid training
htfv_denHard-to-fill vacancy density (HtF vacancies as a share of vacancies)
htfv_incPercentage of sites with at least one hard-to-fill vacancy
htfv_sumNumber of hard-to-fill vacancies
job_specific_training_incPercentage of sites providing job specific training
management_training_incPercentage of sites providing management training
new_technology_training_incPercentage of sites providing new technology training
offthejob_training_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any off-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
onthejob_training_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
onthejob_training_only_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged only on-the-job training for staff over the past 12 months
sample_sizeUnweighted base of sites
sample_size_w_vacUnweighted base of sites with vacancies
skillgap_denSkill gap density (the proportion of employees judged not fully proficient)
skillgap_incPercentage of sites with at least one skill gap (i.e. 1+ employee not fully proficient)
skillgapsNumber of skill gaps (employees not fully proficient)
ssv_denSkill-shortage vacancy density (SSVs as a share of vacancies)
ssv_incPercentage of sites with at least one skill-shortage vacancy
ssv_sumNumber of skill-shortage vacancies
supervisory_training_incPercentage of sites providing supervisory training
train_days_employeeAverage number of days training per employee
train_days_traineeAverage number of days training per trainee
traineesNumber of employees trained in the past 12 months
training_daysTotal number of training days for employees
training_denPercentage of employees that received any training in the past 12 months
training_in_general_incPercentage of sites that have funded or arranged any training for staff over the past 12 months
twodigit_sicTwo digit standard industrial classification (SIC) - Filter by two digit standard industrial classification (SIC)
vac_denVacancy density (vacancies as a proportion of employment)
vac_incPercentage of sites with at least one vacancy
vac_sumNumber of vacancies
weight_baseNumber of sites in population

Vacancy measures by occupational group (SOC2010)

Filename
vac_indicators_soc_11_22_SOC2010.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2011 to 2022
Content
Covers number of vacancies, hard to fill vacancies and skill-shortage vacancies, skill-shortage vacancy density and hard to fill vacancy density, by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2010. Indicators can be broken down by country and sector.
Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
htfv_denHard to fill vacancy density (as a percentage of vacancies for the SOC code)
htfv_sumNumber of hard to fill vacancies
sample_occupations_site_has_vacancyNumber of occupations for which sites had at least one vacancy in the specific SOC code
sectorSector - Filter by sector
soc2010_1_labelled1 digit SOC2010 code and name - Filter by 1 digit SOC code (SOC2010)
soc2010_2_labelled2 digit SOC2010 code and name - Filter by 2 digit SOC code (SOC2010)
soc2010_3_labelled3 digit SOC2010 code and name - Filter by 3 digit SOC code (SOC2010)
soc2010_4_labelled4 digit SOC2010 code and name - Filter by 4 digit SOC code (SOC2010)
ssv_denSkill-shortage vacancy density (as a percentage of vacancies for the SOC code)
ssv_sumNumber of skill-shortage vacancies
vac_sumNumber of vacancies

Vacancy measures by occupational group (SOC2020)

Filename
vac_indicators_soc_22_24_SOC2020.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2022 to 2024
Content
Covers number of vacancies, hard to fill vacancies and skill-shortage vacancies, skill-shortage vacancy density and hard to fill vacancy density, by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2020. Indicators can be broken down by country and sector.
Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
htfv_denHard to fill vacancy density (as a percentage of vacancies for the SOC code)
htfv_sumNumber of hard to fill vacancies
sample_occupations_site_has_vacancyNumber of occupations for which sites had at least one vacancy in the specific SOC code
sectorSector - Filter by sector
soc2020_1_labelled1 digit SOC2020 code and name - Filter by 1 digit SOC code (SOC2020)
soc2020_2_labelled2 digit SOC2020 code and name - Filter by 2 digit SOC code (SOC2020)
soc2020_3_labelled3 digit SOC2020 code and name - Filter by 3 digit SOC code (SOC2020)
soc2020_4_labelled4 digit SOC2020 code and name - Filter by 4 digit SOC code (SOC2020)
ssv_denSkill-shortage vacancy density (as a percentage of vacancies for the SOC code)
ssv_sumNumber of skill-shortage vacancies
vac_sumNumber of vacancies