The skills gap crisis and why workers can't wait

Artificial intelligence, automation and the transition to Net Zero are transforming work across every sector, often at a rapid pace. Skills England reports that we will need 900,000 more skilled workers in our priority sectors by 2030 and double that number over the next decade. 1

History tells us that handled well and with worker voice at the centre, these changes could bring better jobs, higher productivity, better living standards and economic growth. But handled badly, they risk displacing workers and communities, pushing people out of the labour market altogether and undermining this governments ambition for long-term economic growth, sustainability and making work pay.   

And as jobs change, workers need the chance to change with them. Having access to high-quality training to develop and adapt their skills is vital for enabling workers and employers to navigate this changing and uncertain landscape.  

But all this change is happening against a backdrop of a skills system that is characterised by fragmentation, underinvestment and a significant gap between those who can access training and skills and those who can’t.  

Employer investment has plummeted by 29.5% since 2011 (real terms per employee). We are currently spending half the EU average on training, meaning UK workers are often unable to access training and skills development leading to skills mismatches, undermining their ability to adapt in a rapidly changing world of work:  

• Nearly 9 million adults in England lack essential literacy and numeracy skills. And over one in four (27.4%) people at the age of 24 in England do not have Level 2 English and Maths qualification. 
• Graduates remain three times more likely to receive workplace training than those with lower qualifications. This entrenches inequality and leaves millions of workers unable to pivot as sectors decline and new technologies emerge.   
• The Learning and Work institute in its 2025 Adult Participation survey found that only 1 in 5 adults are participating in some form of learning, down from 30 percent in 2024. 2

Positively, we have seen major structural shifts and prioritisation of skills in policymaking over the last couple of years, including the establishment of Skills England, reforms to apprenticeships and the creation of the Industrial Strategy with its accompanying requirements for jobs and skills plans.   

But we know that we are at a critical juncture.  

And that is why the TUC is launching its Skills 2050 Project, bringing together unions, skills and education experts and employer representatives to develop a pro-worker vision for the skills system that protects and supports the workers of today and tomorrow and enables a growing and sustainable economy. 

Through research, evidence, and bringing different voices together we will work with our partners to develop a vision for a skills system rooted in worker voice and partnership working, supported by recognising and valuing the vital role that trainers and educators play in supporting workers to re-train and upskill throughout their lives, whether that is through further and higher education or workplace learning.  

Our work will be supported by the expertise of our expert project advisory group who will come together at critical points in the project to understand the evidence we are gathering and work with us to shape actions and test our thinking.  

We want to hear from a wide range of stakeholders about their experiences of the skills system and what they think needs to change, so this project begins with a call for evidence, covering four key themes: 

• Systems and infrastructure – how the skills system is funded, delivered and governed, including employer investment, public funding, and the capacity of further education.  
• Access and qualifications – who can access learning and training opportunities, and how access varies across different groups of workers.  
• Worker voice and collective bargaining – the role of trade unions, worker influence, and employment rights in shaping access to skills and progression  
• Future skills needs – how the system responds to long-term changes including automation, artificial intelligence, and the transition to a net zero economy.  

Across the project, our work will help to inform key policy calls and shape our campaigns to make them a reality - putting workers needs at the heart of the skills system and debates on the future of work.  

• 1 Skills England: annual skills report 2026
• 2 The workforce learning slowdown? Adult Participation in Learning Survey 2025 - Learning and Work Institute