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Theme 4

Science and Engineering Workforce

Policy questions and key messages

  1. Is the UK producing enough scientists and engineers?
  2. Are there skills mismatches in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in the UK?
  3. How does this compare with other countries?

In 2023 the UK workforce reported one of the highest qualification and skills mismatches across OECD countries:

  • 37% of workers in the UK thought their qualification was above the level required for their job, against 23% of the OECD average.
  • 34% of UK workers reported they were over-skilled for their current job, against 26% of the OECD average.
  • 41% of workers in the UK reported their field of study was not related to the most relevant field for their job, against 38% of the OECD average.

The UK is among the OECD countries with the highest levels of tertiary education attainment, but it lacks workers with vocational education and produces a relatively low share of graduates in engineering, manufacturing and construction:

  • In 2023, 60% of the 25–34-year-old population in the UK had a university degree, against 48% of the OECD average.
  • In the same year 22% of the 25–34-year-old population in the UK pursued vocational education below the OECD average (31%) and European peers such as France (41%), Germany (37%) and Italy (36%).
  • In 2022 UK graduates in engineering, manufacturing and construction represented 9.3% of total graduates in the country, less than the G7 average (13.9%), and only above the USA, which had 6.9% of total graduates in this discipline.

In 2023 the UK workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations accounted for 28.7% of the total workforce and is expected to grow by 2030:

  • In 2023 the UK STEM workforce comprised 9.4 million workers, including 2.6 million workers in the occupations most relevant to critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, engineering biology, quantum technologies, future telecommunication and semiconductors.
  • Between 2013 and 2023, the UK STEM workforce grew by 22%, more than the 11% growth seen for the average of all occupations.
  • Assuming fast technological growth and adoption of automation technologies, it is estimated that the STEM workforce in the UK will continue to grow, between 6% and 10% from 2023 to 2030.

Workforce mismatches in G7 countries

  • The UK government’s Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy document emphasises the role of people and skills as a driving force to support businesses’ growth. Barriers such as skills mismatches need to be addressed to further support economic growth.[1]
  • According to OECD data, the UK presents several mismatches in the job market, including:
  • Qualification mismatch: 37% of workers in the UK think their qualification is above the level required for their job, against 23% of the OECD average.
  • Skills mismatch: 34% of UK workers report they are over-skilled for their current job, against 26% of the OECD average.
  • Field of study mismatch: 41% of workers in the UK report their field of study is not related to the most relevant field for their job, against 38% of the OECD average.

[1] Source: UK GOV (2024). Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.

Tertiary and vocational education attainment

  • The UK has historically been among the OECD countries with the highest levels of tertiary education attainment.
  • In 2023, 60% of the 25–34-year-old population in the UK had a university degree, against the 48% OECD average.
  • Compared to the OECD, the UK has a lower share of workers with a vocational education that provides the technical skills needed in modern industrial processes.
  • In 2023, 22% of the 25–34-year-old population in the UK had pursued vocational education (including upper-secondary, post-secondary and short-cycle tertiary education).This number is below the OECD average (31%) and European peers such as France (41%), Germany (37%) and Italy (36%).

Graduates in STEM and health disciplines

  • In 2022 the UK produced 227,860 graduates with a tertiary education degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, and 155,831 graduates in health and welfare, together representing 39% of total graduates.[1]
  • In 2022 graduates in STEM plus health and welfare disciplines represented between 36% and 44% of total graduates across G7 countries.
  • In 2022 the UK had a lower share of graduates in the STEM sub-discipline of engineering, manufacturing and construction (9.3%) than G7 countries such as Germany (22.5%), Japan (18.3%), Italy (14.2%) and France (13.8%), while staying above the USA (6.9%).

[1] Note: There is no accepted definition of STEM disciplines, including whether the category should include health and related disciplines. Differences across data sources may depend on the chosen definition.

Science and technology workforce in the UK

  • In 2023 the UK STEM workforce comprised 9.4 million workers, including 2.6 million workers in the occupations most relevant to critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, engineering biology, quantum technologies, future telecommunication and semiconductors. [1]
  • Following publication of the UK Science and Technology Framework, the Department for Education assessed different scenarios for the supply of STEM workforce in the UK by 2030.[1]
  • Between 2013 and 2023, the STEM workforce had already experienced higher growth rates than the average of all occupations in the UK: 22% employment growth in STEM occupations against 11% in all occupations in the UK.[1]
  • Two scenarios were considered where STEM employment will grow more than the baseline scenario, at 4% between 2023 and 2030:
  • Technological growth scenario: assumes a growth rate of 6%, accounting for faster technological change and adoption of automation technologies, and assumes the creation of new jobs related to the management of technologies, the transition to a low-carbon economy, and the provision of improved education, health and care services.
  • High growth scenario: assumes that STEM employment will increase by 10%, and it is modelled around the projections conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

[1] Source: Department for Education (2024). Supply of skills for jobs in science and technology; DSIT (2023). UK Science and Technology Framework.

Researchers in the business sector

  • Researchers are “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.”[1]
  • The UK ranked 10th in the OECD per number of researchers working in the business sector in 2022 (measured in researchers per 1,000 population), with 3.9 researchers, below Japan (4.2) and the USA (4) but above other G7 countries such as Germany (3.6), Canada (3.4) and France (3.1), as well as the OECD average (3).

[1] Source: OECD (2015). Frascati Manual 2015.