Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87663, what assessment he has made of whether the proportion of recent higher education leavers entering priority occupations is sufficient to meet forecast labour market needs in 2030.

Skills England analysis in the Assessment of priority skills to 2030 sets out that two thirds of the projected additional employment demand in priority occupations require workers with a qualification at level 4 or above.

In England, over a quarter of a million (285,000) people enter priority occupations from the skills system each year. Around two thirds (65%) of these are learners with qualifications at level 4 and above, broadly matching the expected education requirements for the priority occupations.

Skills England will continue to develop and refine this analysis further, establishing a process and methodology for assessing skills needs. We are aiming to widen the scope of the analysis, covering skills needs at a national, sectoral, and regional level.