Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Employer Perspectives Survey (EPS) is a large scale survey of UK employers across all sectors of the economy and is part of a series of studies historically commissioned by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) to provide robust and reliable labour market information. Following the closure of the UKCES ownership of the survey transferred to the Department for Education (DfE) in late 2016. The survey provides a UK-wide picture of how employers are meeting their skills needs, looking both at their engagement with skills and employment services and broader approaches to people development. The Employer Perspectives Survey is a key customer insight tool for colleges, universities, schools and other providers looking to understand how employers view and engage with the skills system. The Employer Perspectives Survey is intended to complement the Employer Skills Survey series, which focuses on employer skills demand, skills shortages and training within organisations; the two surveys run in alternate years.

The Employer Perspectives Survey, 2012 covered 15,000 employers across the full geographical spread of the UK, in all sectors of the economy (across the commercial, public and charitable spheres). The survey examined: approaches to recruitment; awareness and use of skills support services/initiatives; engagement with external training providers, and the use of vocational qualifications and apprenticeships. The survey also covered specific areas of current policy interest, and in 2012 this included questions on the use of work placements and the recruitment of young people.

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The 2012 questionnaire included the following sections:firmographicshuman resources strategyrecruitmentpeople developmentawareness and perceptions of Investor in People and UK Commission for Employment and Skills investments

Multi-stage stratified random sample

Telephone interview