Theme 4
Science and Engineering Workforce
Science and Engineering Workforce
Policy questions addressed in Theme 4
- Is the UK producing enough scientists and engineers?
- Is the UK government investing enough in technical and vocational education?
- How does this compare with other countries?
What the data tells us
What the data tells us
- The UK presents a level of tertiary education attainment well above the OECD average, but it is still below countries such as Canada and Korea (Chart 4.1).
- Undergraduate enrolment in STEM disciplines has increased steadily in the UK in recent years (Chart 4.2). In 2018 graduates in STEM disciplines accounted for 44.2% of total graduates in the UK, above comparator countries such as France (37%), the United States (36.8%) and Canada (35%) (Chart 4.3).
- The number of R&D personnel (i.e. researchers, technicians and other supporting staff) in the UK remains below that of comparator countries such as Korea, France and Germany (Chart 4.4). In the UK most of the researchers are employed in the government and higher education sector, as opposed to some comparator countries, where researchers are mainly employed in business enterprises (Chart 4.5).
- Women are underrepresented within the “researchers” segment of R&D personnel, although the share of women researchers in the UK is above the world average, and it is well above comparator countries such as Japan, Korea, Germany and France (Chart 4.6).
- The UK education system is marked by a “missing middle” of higher technical education (i.e. enrolment in post-secondary education courses, below the standard three-year Bachelor’s degree) that is usually designed to provide students with technical skills to enter the job market (Chart 4.7).
- The UK has few science and engineering technicians, compared to countries of a comparable size, such as France and Italy (Chart 4.8). Science and engineering technicians are employed in every sector of the economy, dealing with, for example, operating technical equipment, power plants, aircrafts and ships, among other tasks (Chart 4.9).
Educational attainment
Source: OECD (2021), Adult education level (indicator)
- The UK presents a level of tertiary education attainment (47%) that is well above the OECD average (38%) and countries such as Italy (20%), Germany (30%) and France (38%).
- Although showing a similar value to the United States (48%), the UK is still below the level of the tertiary educational attainments of Canada (59%) and Korea (48%).
UK STEM graduates
Source: Gatsby Charitable Foundation (2020). Key Indicators in STEM education. Notes: STEM disciplines include: Medicine and Dentistry; subjects allied to Medicine; Biological Sciences; Veterinary Science; Agriculture and related subjects; Physical Sciences; Mathematical Sciences; Computer Science; Engineering and Technology; Architecture, Building and Planning.
- Although innovation encompasses several disciplines, graduates in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) are of particular importance to innovation activities.
- Tackling the shortage of STEM skills is one of the objectives of the UK Government Industrial Strategy.
- Between 2009/10 and 2017/18 the total number of students enrolled in STEM undergraduate courses in the UK increased by 17.6%, more than the increase in non-STEM subject areas (9%).
- In 2017/18 students who had enrolled in STEM undergraduate courses accounted for 46.7% of total students, representing an increase from 44.9% in the 2009/10 academic year.
- In 2019 STEM graduates represented only 18% of the total UK workforce,with a prevalence of engineering and technology disciplines.a
Source:a British Science Association (2020). The State of the Sector: Diversity and Representation in STEM Industries in the UK.
Graduates by subject areas
Source: OECD (2020). Education at a Glance database. Notes: Non-STEM subject areas include: Arts and humanities; Social sciences, journalism and information; Business, administration and law; Education; Generic programmes and qualification; field unknown
- In 2018, 418,704 students obtained a Bachelor degree from UK’s Higher Education Institutions.
- Graduates in STEM disciplines accounted for 44.2% of total graduates in the UK in 2018. This value is above comparator countries such as France (37%), the United States (36.8%), and Canada (35%).
- The share of graduates in Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction remains relatively low in the UK, at 8.4%, especially when compared to countries such as Germany (23.4%), and Korea (20.7%).
R&D personnel
Source: OECD (2020). Main Science and Technology Indicators database. Notes: For the USA, Switzerland and the OECD, the last data that is available for researchers is from 2017; other R&D personnel data for the USA and OECD is not available.
- The OECD classifies R&D personnel as researchers, technicians andother supporting staff.
- In the UK the number of R&D personnel per 1,000 employment (14.3) remains below that of Korea (18.8), Switzerland (16.3), France (16.1) and Germany (15.8).
- While having a number of researchers per 1,000 employed (9.4) that is above the OECD average (8.6) and the United States (9.2), the UK still has comparatively fewer researchers employed than countries such as Korea (15.3), France (10.9), Japan (9.9) and Germany (9.7).
Researchers by sector of employment
Source: OECD (2020). R&D personnel by sector and function database. Notes: For the USA, Switzerland and Canada data, refer to 2017.
- The OECD Frascati Manual defines researchers as “professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge. They conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models, techniques instrumentation, software or operational methods.”
- In the UK most of the researchers (60%) are employed in the government and higher education sector. This may be related to the low attractiveness of the business sector for UK-based researchers and/or the lack of R&D job opportunities in business enterprises.
- Conversely, more than 70% of researchers in countries such as Korea, Japan and the United States are employed in business enterprises.
Women researchers
Source: OECD (2020). Main Science and Technology Indicators database. Notes: For the Switzerland, Germany and France data, refer to 2017. USA data is not available.
- As indicated by UNESCO,a only around 30% of the world’s researchers are women, despite the fact that in recent decades the number of women enrolling in tertiary education has increased.
- There are, however, differences among regions. The regional averages for the share of female researchers are as follows:
- 48.2% for Central Asia
- 45.1% for Latin America and the Caribbean
- 41.5% for the Arab States
- 39.3% for Central and Eastern Europe
- 32.7% for North America and Western Europe
- 31.8% for Sub-Saharan Africa
- 29.3% for the world
- 23.9% for East Asia and the Pacific
- 18.5% for South and West Asia
- In the UK the share of women researchers is above the world average, as well as the North America and Western Europe average, and it is well above comparator countries such as Japan, Korea, Germany and France.
Source: aUNESCO (2019). Institute for Statistics (UIS) Fact Sheet no 55.
Higher technical education
Source: OECD (2020). Education at a Glance database. Notes: Tertiary education includes: short-cycle tertiary education; Bachelor degrees; Master degrees; PhD degrees.
- Recent analyses argue that the UK education system is marked by a “missing middle” of higher technical education (HTE): enrolment in post-secondary education; and short-cycle tertiary education.a
- For example, in 2018 students who were enrolled in short-cycle tertiary education in the UK made up 12% of the total tertiary education, compared to 36% for the USA and 22% for Canada and Korea.
- HTE corresponds to Level 4 and Level 5 of the UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education (2011): post-secondary, non-tertiary education (Level 4) is post-secondary education, not sufficiently complex to be tertiary education, which prepares students to enter the job market (or pursue tertiary education); short-cycle tertiary education (Level 5) courses are often practically based, preparing students to enter the labour market.*
- The lack of HTE skills may have implications for the competitiveness of the economy, as the job market requires a variety of skills that are not always provided by standard three-year Bachelor degrees.
- The evidence suggests that the lack of HTE enrolment in the UK is due to the bias of public funding towards higher tertiary education (i.e. Bachelor degree and above).b
Note:* In the Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies, HTE corresponds to Level 4 and Level 5, both corresponding to UNESCO ISCED Level 5.
Source:a Field S. (2018). The Missing Middle: Higher Technical Education in England. Gatsby Charitable Foundation; bMason G. (2019). Higher Education, Initial Vocational Education, and Training and Continuing Education and Training: Where Should the Balance Lie? LLAKES Research Paper 66.
Science and engineering technicians
Source: Skills Panorama (2021). Science and engineering technicians.
- Science and engineering technicians are physical and engineering science technicians, mining, manufacturing and construction supervisors, process control technicians, life-science technicians or ship and aircraft controllers and technicians, among other sectors.
- The UK has few science and engineering technicians compared to countries of a comparable size, such as France and Italy.
- Analyses conducted by the UK National Audit Office also suggest that “there is an acute shortage of technician-level STEM skills” in the United Kingdom.
Source:a National Audit Office (2018). Delivering STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills for the economy.
UK Science and engineering technicians
Source: Skills Panorama (2021). Science and engineering technicians. Notes: Other sectors include: energy supply services; ICT services; other business services; other primary sector and utilities; water and waste treatment.
- In the UK science and engineering technicians are mainly employed in manufacturing (27%), construction (16.7%) and professional services (13%), where they are involved with operations, operating technical equipment, power plants, aircrafts and ships.
- The UK Government Industrial Strategy recognises that in the past technical education was given insufficient attention; its aim is to reform the system to improve the technical education outcome.
- In this respect, from September 2020 T Level qualifications were introduced in England as a 2-year post-16 course qualification that “bring[s] classroom learning and an extended industry placement together on a course designed with businesses and employers”.
Source:a HM Government (2020). About T Levels.
