Published in June 2019, this report analyses several employment surveys (including one online survey commissioned specifically for this study), relevant literature and in-depth case studies with key stakeholders to gain an insight into key barriers to productivity gains, in particular external and internal skills deficits which relate to job vacancies and proficiency in one’s job.

The results of the surveys often show that Yorkshire and the Humber experienced the highest growth in employment of any region, while the North East experienced the lowest. The North West was broadly in line with the UK’s average. The report proposes recommendations for addressing skills deficits and areas which require further research. The annex of the report contains a regional breakdown of the reports results.