Levels of Highest Qualification held by Working Age Adults, 2010

Statistics on qualification levels include data for Wales and all other UK countries for the period up to the end of December 2010. The latest bulletin provides further information on the statistics previously released on 20th July 2011.

The key points for 2010 are:

• Overall, qualification levels in Wales increased in 2010, continuing the general increase seen in recent years.
• An estimated 12 per cent of working age adults in Wales reported having no qualifications, compared with 14 per cent in 2009.
• 72 per cent of working age adults in Wales held at least level 2 qualifications compared with 71 per cent in 2009.
• The proportion holding degree-level qualifications (NQF levels 4 or above) was 31 per cent compared with 30 per cent in 2009.
• Persons with a disability are more likely to hold no qualifications than non-disabled persons, and less likely to hold qualifications at level 2 or above. Since 2005, the gap between disabled and non-disabled persons holding no qualifications has narrowed slightly from 18 percentage points to 15 percentage points.
• The proportion with no qualifications in employment in 2010 was 39 per cent compared with 50 per cent in 2001. The change in employment rates between 2001 and 2010 is less for higher qualification levels.
• In general, qualification levels in Wales were lower than in England, Scotland and the UK as a whole, but higher than in Northern Ireland.

The Annual Population Survey has been reweighted in line with the latest population estimates. Therefore estimates of qualification levels of working age adults for the years 2004 to 2009 have been revised accordingly. The sizes of these revisions are negligible.

Summary tables containing further information on qualification levels for Wales are available on StatsWales.

Further information

StatsWales website.

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 5378
E-mail: post16ed.stats@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next update

October 2012 (provisional - to be confirmed on the 'Due Out Soon' page)