Skills & Inequality in Oxford – Resident Survey

As part of the Skills and Inequality Study, we asked Oxford residents about their skills, employment and training needs. We wanted to understand the barriers and opportunities people face when finding work, progressing in their careers and accessing training, and identify what support could help reduce inequalities across the city. 

361 residents responded to our Skills and Inequality Study survey. Respondents told us that while many people are ambitious and looking to develop their skills, retrain or progress in their careers, a range of barriers can make it difficult to access employment, training and progression opportunities.

Key themes included: 

• The rising cost of living is making it harder for many residents to access and progress in work and training opportunities. 

• Residents identified a lack of awareness of career options, qualifications gaps, and health and wellbeing challenges as barriers to employment and progression. 

• Many respondents reported difficulties with job application and interview skills, confidence and motivation, and digital skills. 

• Transport costs and affordability can make it harder for residents to access work, education and training opportunities. 

• Nearly a third of respondents were unsure about their future plans, highlighting a need for clearer careers advice, guidance and support.  

• Residents expressed a desire to retrain, develop new skills and move into different sectors or higher-skilled roles. 

• Many residents rely on friends, family and informal networks for support, with formal services often underused or difficult to access. 

• Respondents highlighted the importance of affordable and accessible training, mentoring, work experience opportunities, community-based support and employer-led development opportunities.  

• Residents called for more joined-up, community-led and co-designed skills and employment support that reflects local needs and lived experience.  

The feedback from residents has been used to develop a draft skills strategy, known as the Vision for Skills. The Vision for Skills seeks to address skills shortages for employers and barriers to employment, education and training for residents, and will be submitted to the council for approval in September 2026. There are two key recommendations in the draft skills strategy. The first is to develop a skills compact that will bring together funding, employers, training providers, public bodies, and communities around shared goals. The second is to establish an Economy and Skills Unit for Oxford that will act as the local coordination layer for skills delivery, aligning funding, shaping provision, and offering labour market intelligence.