Teacher Labour Market in England – Annual Report 2022
23 March 2022
NFER’s 2022 Teacher Labour Market in England Annual report, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, monitors the progress the education system in England is making towards meeting the teacher supply challenge by measuring the key indicators and trends of teacher supply and working conditions.
While the Covid-19 pandemic somewhat eased the teacher supply challenge in the short term in England, a resurgence in the wider labour market since pandemic restrictions began lifting in 2021 means the pressure on teacher supply witnessed before the pandemic has resumed. Improving teachers’ pay and working conditions to make it an attractive and rewarding graduate career choice should be a policy priority once again.
Key Findings
- There is a substantial risk that a large range of secondary subjects will not meet recruitment targets in 2022. These include shortage subjects such as physics, maths, chemistry, computing, design and technology and modern foreign languages, as well as other subjects that typically recruit well, including geography, biology and English, art and religious education.
- Teachers’ median real-terms pay is around 7 to 9 per cent lower in 2020/21 than in 2010/11 and has lost competitiveness relative to the wider economy over the last decade
- Teachers continue to work longer hours than similar individuals in other professions during term time and are more likely to want to work fewer hours
- Schools’ capacity to mentor trainees and new teachers is likely to remain under strain in 2022 due to a range of pressures
Related Titles
Teacher recruitment targets likely to be missed in English, maths and science - Press release
School Workforce - Key Topics & Expertise