Skills gaps in the South West of England

16 Mar 2026

This data insight describes the scale and spread of skills gaps in the South West. It examines both the proportion of employees lacking full proficiency and the share of establishments reporting at least one skills gap.

By looking at employee-level and employer-level measures together, the indicators reveal not only how many workers are affected, but how widely skills deficiencies are experienced across businesses. Since 2011, trends show fluctuations in both measures, reflecting changing conditions and shifts in employer demand.

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 data are sourced from the Employer Skills Survey (Department of Education), based on large-scale telephone interviews with employers. This enables comparisons over time and provides insight into employer-reported workforce proficiency and skills shortages across the South West.

18.40%

Establishments in the Greater West of England reporting at least one skills gap in2011

-1.75 pp

Employee skills gaps reportedly fell from 5.86% in 2011 to 4.11% in 2024 in the Greater West of England

0.72 pp

Fewer employees in the South West report a skills gap compared with England (5.18% vs 5.9%)

3.4 pp

More establishments in the South West report a skills gap compared with England (18.7% vs 15.3%)

Employees and establishments in the South West with a skills gap (%), 2011 onwards

This visualisation shows the trends in proportion of employees and establishments reporting a skills gap in the South West from 2011 to 2024.

The South West has a steady long-term decline in both employees and establishments reporting skills gaps, reaching the lowest levels in 2024. After the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2022, there was a rise in skills gaps, but this reversed sharply by 2024, leaving the region below pre-pandemic averages.

Both measures have a similar pattern. Across all years, establishments were around 3 times more likely to report a skills gap than the proportion of employees reporting the same.

Overall, the region shows a clear improvement trajectory with skills gaps becoming both less widespread and less prevalent over time.

Employees with a skills gap (%), South West, UK comparison, 2022/23

This visualisation shows that there are fewer employees in the South West with a skills gap compared with England (5.18% versus 5.90%). Roughly 1 in 19 employees is affected in the South West versus 1 in 17 across England. This is a modest difference, indicating skills gaps remain an issue in both geographies.

Establishments with at least one skills gap (%), South West, England comparison, 2022/23

This visualisation shows that 18.7% of establishments reported a skills gap in the South West compared to 15.3% across England. The difference of 3.4 percentage points (pp) suggests that skills deficiencies are more widely experienced across businesses in the South West than nationally.