UK Employer Survey Home

Welcome to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills Employer Surveys Reports site. 

Here you will find information on our two UK-wide employer surveys, the Employer Perspectives Survey (EPS) and the Employer Skills Survey (ESS), and an archive the National Employer Skills Survey for England (NESS).

The site houses the reports and questionnaires from the surveys, as well as recent news and troubleshooting. Data from the surveys can be accessed here via our Data Tool. 

The surveys provide vital intelligence for stakeholders, providers, employers and individuals interested in the employment and skills system and wider UK labour market. 

The Employer Perspectives Survey (EPS) looks at UK employer’s perceptions of and interactions with the UK skills and employment system.  Topics include engagement with business support services, recruitment services, skills and training initiatives and organisations, Apprenticeships, and Investors in People. 

The Employer Skills Survey (ESS) looks at employers’ processes of recruitment and retention problems, demand for skills, skill gaps, workforce development and training, and business strategy and structure.  The ESS is interested in internal employer practices - how employers organise, train and recruit.

The National Employer Skills Survey for England (NESS) was jointly run by the UK Commission and the Learning and Skills Council in 2009; prior to this, it was run by the Learning and Skills Council. Reports generated from the survey in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009 can be found on the site.  NESS was an England-only skills survey, with each devolved administration running its own employer skills survey prior to 2011; from 2011 the UK Commission will conduct ESS as a single, comparable, UK-wide employer skills survey. 

Latest news

The UK Employer Skills Survey 2011 is currently in the field between March-August 2011. The data and final report will be available in spring 2012.  For more information, see the Employer Skills Survey page.