Skills At Work, 1986 to 2006

This report examines the skills used by British workers and highlights a significant increase in job skills over the last two decades, with computing and 'influencing' skills in particular growing in importance over the last five years. The report presents the initial findings from the 2006 Skills Survey of 4,800 working individuals in Britain aged 20-65 and compares them with those from similar surveys undertaken over the last two decades. The report covers a range of areas including: skills trends; qualification requirements; the value of skills; task discretion; and attitudes to work and skill development. It also provides an analysis of gender and regional differences in relation to skill use. Key findings include: the proportion of jobs requiring level 4 qualifications and above has risen from 20 per cent in 1986 to 30 per cent in 2006; the proportion of jobs not requiring any qualifications fell by 11 percentage points over the same period; more jobs are now associated with longer periods of training - 30 per cent of jobs in Britain now involve training which lasts for more than two years, compared to 22 per cent of jobs in 1986; continuous learning is also on the increase - 35 per cent of respondents agreed that 'my job requires that I keep learning new things', compared to 30 per cent in 2001 and 26 per cent in 1992; computing skills are essential to nearly half of all jobs in 2006, compared with less than one third in 1997; 'influencing skills', which include the ability to persuade people, write long reports, make speeches and teach people are also growing in importance. The report provides important evidence about skill use in the British workplace which is of particular relevance to the policy priorities outlined in the Leitch Review of Skills [report indexed at TD/TNC 88.118].