Regional and Sector Analysis

Overview

IER has a substantial and strong track record in subnational labour market analysis, be that focusing on specific geographical areas, or sectors and occupations. This includes examining spatial dimensions of economic, social and demographic change, and the geography of employment and non-employment. IER's work ranges from subregional employment and skills forecasts to qualitative analyses of employment, skills and worklessness, including strategy development.

Research areas

Local labour markets
Local skills strategy
Regional economic development
Sectoral employment

Key contacts

David Owen

Peter Dickinson

Core team members

Blogs

We’re all in this together: Strategies for achieving employee retention during COVID-19 (20 October 2020).

Selected recent projects

Local labour markets, local skills strategy and regional economic development

Labour market information report, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (2022).

Understanding work, wages and employment in key sectors post Covid – ReWAGE subgroup; abrdn Financncial Fairness Trust (2021 - 2022).

Labour Market and Skills Demand Horizon Scanning and Qualitative Scenarios; Department for Education (2021).

The Midlands Engine Mental Health Productivity Pilot; Nottingham City Council (2019 – 2022).

Inclusive Growth in West and North Yorkshire; West Yorkshire Combined Authority and York, North Yorkshire and East Riding (YNYER) LEP (2019).

Skills report for Sheffield City Region; Sheffield City Region (2021).

Green jobs in the Liverpool City Region; Liverpool City Region (2020 – 2021).

In-work Progression; Liverpool City Region (2020).

Research to support local skills supply and demand interventions; CITB (2018 - 2019).

Productivity and Skills Commission Annual Report; West Midlands Combined Authority (2018).

Sectoral employment

Educational Psychology services: Workforce insights and school perspectives on impact. Department for Education (2022 – 2023).

Green jobs in Scotland? Workforce and demand research; Skills Development Scotland (2022).

The engineering workforce - current and future challenges, and opportunities to transform; Engineering UK (2021).

Future-proofing apprenticeships; The Co-Operative Group (2020 – 2021).

Migration and Construction in the UK; CITB (2020, 2019, 2018).

Job creation by organisation type - Cooperatives in selected European countries; European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (2018).

How have the UK restaurant and warehousing sectors been affected by the fissuring of the worker-employer relationship in the last 10 years?; BEIS (2018).

Working Futures 2017-2027; Department for Education (2018 - 2019).

Skills Advisory Panels Feasibility Study; Department for Education (2018).

Selected recent publications & downloads

Local labour markets and local skills strategy

OECD (2020) Better using skills in the workplace in the Leeds City Region, United Kingdom (Principal authors: Jonathan Barr, Michela Meghnagi, Christopher Warhurst, Ewart Keep and Pauline Anderson).

Green, A., Hogarth, T., Thom, G., MacLeod, K., Warhurst, C., Willis, R., and Mackay S. (2017). Local Skills Case Study (Department for Education Research Report 673). London: Department for Education. ISBN 978-1-78105-741-4.

Adam, D. and Green, A. (2016). Soft spaces and soft outcomes: Experiences from City Strategy on local partnership working and measures of success. Environment and Planning, 48(8): 1514-1531 (DOI: 10.1177/0308518X16642225)

Green, A.E. and Shuttleworth, I. (2015). Labour markets and internal migration. In: Smith, D.P., Finney, N., Halfacree, K. and Walford, N. (eds.) Internal Migration: Geographical Perspectives and Processes. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 65-79. (ISBN 9781472452467)

Regional economic development

Barnes, S-A., Hogarth, T., Cárdenas-Rubio, J., Wright, S., Hawthorne, M., Bosworth, D., & Bosworth, L. (2021). Strategic, Accessible Labour Market Intelligence: Labour market demand and supply of skills (Report 1). IER University of Warwick/Skills Development Scotland.

Wilson, R. A., D. Owen, S-A. Barnes, M. May-Gillings, S. Patel and H. Bui, (2020). Working Futures 2017-2027: Long-run labour market and skills projections (Annexes). London: Department for Education.

Kapitsinis, N., and Luchinskaya, D. (2018). 'Business rates in Wales, local retention and regional growth deals: Policy report.' Report (March). Cardiff: Wales Public Services 2025.

Green, A. (2016). Changing dynamics of rural labour markets. In: Shucksmith, M. and Brown, D.L. (Eds). Routledge International Handbook of Rural Studies. Abingdon: Routledge (pp. 143-153). (ISBN 978-1138804371)

Sectoral employment

Henry N., Barker V., Sissons P., Broughton K., Dickinson P., Lazell J. and Angus T. (2021) Mind the Understanding Gap: The Value of Creative Freelancers. Final report.

Hogarth, T. and Cardenas Rubio, J. (2021). The R&D Pipeline. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. BEIS Research Paper Number: 2021/22

Dickinson, P., Warhurst, C., Corvo, L., Ludicone, F. and Demetriades, S. (2019) Cooperatives and social enterprises: Work and employment in selected countries, Dublin: Eurofound.

Eikhof, D. R., Newsinger, J., Luchinskaya, D., and Aidley, D. (2019). And… action? Gender, knowledge and inequalities in the UK screen industries. Gender, Work & Organization. Advance online publication.

Barnes, S-A., Kispeter, E., Eikhof, D. and Parry, R. (2018). Mapping the Museum Digital Skills Ecosystem Phase One Report. Leicester: University of Leicester. ISBN 978-0-9933380-8-3.

Wilson, R., Tarjáni, H. and Rihova, H. (2016). Working at Sectoral Level - Guide to Anticipating and Matching Skills and Jobs (Vol. 3). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. (ISBN: 978-92-9157-657-9)