IER News & blogs
Cedefop's latest Skills Forecast
Cedefop, the European Agency responsible for Vocational Education and Training, have released the latest update to their Skills Forecast data providing labour market projections at a pan-European level from 2022 to 2035. The project was led by Cambridge Econometrics with a consortium of European research organisations, including the IER, and individual country experts from across Europe.
Find out more about , the and Cedefop鈥檚 .
Launch of the UK Standard Skills Classification
For the past two years research staff at IER and the University of Sheffield, in collaboration with Omnifolio, have been working to create the first Standard Classification of Skills (SSC) for the UK on behalf of Skills England.
The prototype version of this classification was released on November 27, 2025, accompanied by a , allowing users to browse the classification and explore links to occupations and qualifications, plus an , detailing the methodology, information sources and examples of use cases. An overview of the tool and its beneficiaries is provided in the . Initial responses to the release of the prototype have been favourable.
New publication: Exporting status differences? The stratification of British transnational higher education
A new by IER鈥檚 Dr Sangwoo Lee and Dr Eva Hartmann (University of Cambridge) examines how institutional hierarchies within UK higher education are reproduced through transnational education (TNE).
The paper contributes to emerging critical perspectives on the internationalisation of higher education and highlights the need to consider how power, reputation and hierarchy shape the global circulation of UK qualifications.
New research highlights how better employment support could help people over 50 stay in or return to work
As populations age, governments are encouraging people to work for longer. But many older workers—especially those with health conditions, caring responsibilities or insecure work histories—struggle to stay in employment or find a way back after job loss.
A new report from the 糖心TV Institute for Employment Research reviews UK and international evidence on active labour market programmes designed to support people aged 50 and over. It finds that generic, one-size-fits-all employment schemes often fail older workers, particularly those facing disadvantage.
IER is hiring a Research Fellow
The IER is seeking to appoint an outstanding Research Fellow to contribute to developing and enhancing its reputation as an internationally leading, multi-disciplinary research-only institute. It is an opportunity for a researcher who wants to make a difference to be involved in policy-relevant research. Read more about the role at the .
The deadline for applying is Monday 2nd February 2026 at 11:55pm (UK time).