Skills Shortages in the UK Economy – February 2025

In February, as part of my role curating Edge's Skills Shortages Bulletins, I pulled together our annual summary piece, reflecting on the state of skills shortages in the UK economy. The summary highlights key findings:

1. Overall labour market conditions remain challenging

2. Profound changes to patterns of employment are intensifying

3. Skills shortages are numerous and have grown significantly

4. The rate of skills investment is in decline

5. Skills shortages have significant costs for UK businesses, the economy, and the environment

6. Employers prize work experience and broader transferable skills when recruiting

7. Young people lack confidence in their future ability to meet skills requirements

8. The education system struggles to respond to skills needs and is under-resourced

The full summary is available here: Edge Skills Shortages Bulletin Summary.