skills
economy
Skill-shortage vacancies in the South West of England
This data insight describes trends in skill-shortage vacancies in the South West of England, highlighting how recruitment pressures have evolved over time.
The South West region is one of 12 International Territorial Level 1 areas (ITL1) in the UK. It comprises Gloucestershire and Wiltshire; West of England; North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset; Devon; and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
The indicators compare skill shortage vacancies with broader hard-to-fill and overall vacancy rates, helping to distinguish between general hiring activity and more structural capability shortages.
The data are sourced from the Employer Skills Survey (Department for Education), which is based on large-scale telephone interviews with employers. This survey covers employer-reported experiences of recruitment difficulties and skills gaps, enabling robust comparison across regions over time.
+36,469
Skill-shortage vacancies increased from 2011 to 2022
122,000
Total vacancies peaked in 2022; nearly triple the 2011 level
+7.95 pp
Establishments with skill-shortage vacancies increased from 2.51% (2011) to 10.46% (2022)
23.44%
Nearly 1 in 4 establishments reported a vacancy in 2022: the highest in the period
Vacancies by type, South West region, 2011 onwards
This visualisation shows the trends in vacancies by type in the South West region from 2011 to 2024, highlighting how skill-shortage, other hard-to-fill and other vacancies have changed over time.
Total vacancies rose from 46,083 in 2011 to 122,204 in 2022 before dropping to 87,800 in 2024.
Skill-shortage vacancies increased from 6,664 in 2011 to 43,133 in 2022, representing the most significant growth among all categories, before falling to 35,200 in 2024.
Other hard-to-fill vacancies followed a similar pattern climbing from 3,729 in 2011 to 34,562 in 2022, before dropping to 6,700 and 2024.
In contrast, ‘other vacancies’ remains consistently high throughout the period, fluctuating between roughly 35,700 and 49,300.
Establishments with a vacancy (%), by type, South West region (2011 onwards)
This visualisation shows the proportion of establishments in the South West reporting vacancies by type between 2011 and 2024, highlighting trends in overall demand and recruitment difficulty.
The share of establishments with any type of vacancy rose steadily from 12.05% in 2011 to a peak of 23.44% in 2022, before falling to 16.50% in 2024.
Hard-to-fill vacancies followed a similar trajectory, increasing from 3.63% in 2011 to 15.95% in 2022 then easing to 8.11% in 2024.
Skill-shortage vacancies also more than quadrupled over this period, rising from 2.51% in 2011 to 10.46% in 2022, before dropping back to six points to 6.28% in 2024.
Across all years, establishments reporting any vacancy consistently outnumber those reporting hard-to-fill or skill-shortage vacancies, showing the general recruitment demand is broader than skill specific challenges.
Vacancies by type (%), South West region, 2022/23
This visualisation shows the distribution of vacancies by type in 2022/23, comparing the South West with England overall.
In the South West, skill-shortage vacancies are 1.22pp lower than in England (34.77% versus 35.99%) implying skills mismatches are slightly less prevalent in the region as a share of total vacancies than the national average.
Similarly, the South West’s ‘other vacancies’ share is 1.65pp lower than that of England (41.54% versus 43.19%), suggesting that compared to England, there are fewer roles that are easily fillable within the region.
With 23.69% of other hard-to-fill vacancies compared to England’s 20.83% (2.86pp difference), the South West has more vacancies that are harder to fill for non-skills reasons.
Establishments in the South West with a vacancy (%) by type, 2022/23
This visual shows a proportion of establishments with a vacancy by type in 2022/23, comparing the South West with England.
In the South West, 29.79% of establishments reported any type of vacancy, compared with 23.2% in England, indicating stronger overall recruitment demand in the region. The South West also had higher rates of skill-shortage vacancies (13.55% versus 9.8%) and hard-to-fill vacancies (19.49% versus 14.5%) than England.
The data suggests stronger recruitment pressures in the South West with a greater share of employers struggling to fill roles when compared to the national average.
