Contributing to the Debate: Assessing the UK Evidence Base on Employment and Skills
This paper summarises ten key issues for data relating to employment and skills in the UK, and explores in what ways these might be improved to support the continued improvement of the UK’s LMI landscape.
Contributing to the Debate: Assessing the UK Evidence Base on Employment and Skills (PDF, 434 Kb)
Published April 2010
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills has a remit to develop a labour market analysis function and to develop a range of Labour Market Information (LMI) products both for its own use and for a wider audience.
In planning this work, it is essential to review the available data relating to employment and skills in the UK and explore in what ways it may be improved.
In late 2008, a small number of leading academic experts were asked by the UK Commission to write ‘think-pieces’ considering sources of LMI in the UK and how they might be improved and strengthened to better meet user needs, looking at data on both employers and individuals. You can get more information on this here
The themes raised in the papers were discussed at two workshops held with a small number of LMI practitioners and academics from across the UK in late 2008 and early 2009. The workshops focused on the strengths and weaknesses of LMI, and on identifying possible ways in which partners could work together in the future to make improvements.
This paper summarises what, in the UK Commission’s view, were the ten key issues to emerge from the think pieces and from the discussion at the workshops. It identifies the common themes identified by experts, and also sets out some key recommendations for further action, both for the UK Commission and for other organisations in the LMI field.
The paper is intended to stimulate and guide at a strategic level the possible future work of the new LMI Forum that is being established by the UK Commission.
