Comparing the Employers Skill Survey Results in Scotland and England

INTRODUCTION

• The results of the English Employers Skill Survey 2005 were published in June 2006, allowing comparison with the latest results for Scotland published in 2004.  This note summarises the key results of the surveys, with more detail at:
• Skills in Scotland 2004 for Scotland; and
• National Employers Skills Survey 2006 for England.
• The results for the two countries are more similar than different and any differences could have arisen because the results are based on samples of workplaces rather than all workplaces.

VACANCIES, HARD-TO-FILL VACANCIES AND SKILL SHORTAGES

• Vacancies are classified as hard-to-fill vacancies (HtFVs) where so described by employers.  Where HtFVs are skill related they are referred to as skill-shortage vacancies (SSVs), that is, HtFVs that arise because of a shortage of applicants with the required experience, qualifications or skills.
• Recruitment activity at the time of the surveys was a little higher in Scotland than in England.  A higher proportion of establishments in Scotland had vacancies in mid-2004 and those vacancies represented a higher proportion of employees.
• In both Scotland and England the number of workplaces experiencing skills related recruitment difficulties is small and skill shortage vacancies are equivalent to less than one per cent of employees.
• Workplaces in both countries report that they experience skill shortages among a quarter of all applicants for vacancies.

SKILL GAPS

• A skill gap arises when an employee is judged by their employer to lack proficiency at what they do.  
• Skill gaps affected a slightly higher proportion of workplaces in Scotland and a slightly higher proportion of employees.

TRAINING ACTIVITY

• The proportion of establishments providing any training to staff is very similar in England and Scotland although more Scottish workplaces provided off-the-job training to staff.
• It is not possible to directly compare the proportions of staff receiving training because the English and Scottish survey results are reported in different ways.

CONCLUSION

• The skills issues faced by Scotland and England as evidenced by these headline results are broadly equivalent.
• Skill shortages are uncommon as a proportion of establishments and employees but account for increasing proportions of vacancies.
• Establishments in both countries are more likely to report skill gaps than skill shortages and skill gaps are slightly more common in Scotland than in England.
• In each country the majority of workplaces have provided training for staff.