Version: 1.0.1 | Published: 15 Dec 2023 | Updated: 422 days ago
UK Research and Innovation Workforce Survey
Dataset
Summary
Citation:
Department for Science Innovation and Technology, released 13 December 2023, ONS
SRS Metadata Catalogue, dataset, UK Research and Innovation Workforce Survey,
https://doi.org/10.57906/8w8q-0f86
DOI Name:
Documentation
Associated Media:
Description:
Eligibility and sampling
We used a broad definition to capture the UK R&I workforce, broader than the definition of R&D workers provided by the OECD’s Frascati manual. This survey includes workers responsible for product or process innovation, or who introduce innovative technologies to their market or organisation. Please refer to the 2022 R&I Workforce Survey report and Technical report (in the Associated Media) for more information about eligibility.
Without an existing sample frame covering the R&I workforce, the research involved an online survey with a link that could be shared widely. Recruitment took place through a range of channels that are listed in the official report (Section 2.3 Methodology).
Please note that the survey was UK-wide, but it is not UK-representative.
Fieldwork
7,519 eligible respondents completed the survey. To maximise completion rates, we aimed for the survey to take a maximum of 20 minutes to complete; the average time taken to complete it was 17 minutes.
Comparisons to the wider R&I workforce
This R&I workforce survey is representative of most occupations considered to be R&I, compared against the UK Labour Force. However, comparison with OECD UK R&D workforce composition data suggests the sample under-represented workers in private, for-profit organisations, and over-represented workers in other types of organisations.
We advise to weight the data to correct for this bias, giving more weight to workers responses in the private sector and less weight to workers responses in other types of organisations. Full details of our weighting approach and its effects are given in the technical report (Section 5 Weighting).
The survey seems to over-represent workers in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs; companies with less than 250 staff), particularly in the private sector (27% of all respondents and 48% of private-sector respondents worked in SMEs). 68% of the private sector workers covered in our survey worked in SMEs compared to 61% of the entire R&D workforce defined through relevant SOC codes applied to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2020.
Due to available sample frames for recruitment, 65% of responses received were from the UKRI grant-holder list and a further 18% were from Innovate UK’s list of applicants. Analysis of survey data suggests UKRI grant recipients are more likely than the overall group of respondents to work in Higher Education and have other characteristics associated with this including being employed by an organisation or institution, having higher levels of qualifications, and conducting basic or applied research. Other differences are relatively small, apart from outputs: UKRI grant recipients are more likely to report that they have produced outputs including academic and other publications, datasets and databases and policy influence. This may reflect the criteria used to award grants.
Please contact anna.romaniuk@dsit.gov.uk if you want to discuss your research with the survey team
Coverage
Spatial
Spatial Coverage:
United Kingdom
Geographical Levels:
region
Temporal
Start Date:
02 March 2022
Latest Data:
13 May 2022
Frequency:
BIENNIAL
Distribution Release Date:
13 December 2023
Provenance
Source:
Survey
Access and Governance
Usage
Condition of Access:
Standard access conditions for the use of data in the SRS
Condition of Use:
Standard conditions for the use of data in the SRS
Resource Creator:
Office for National Statistics
Access
Access Service:
- Safe Rooms, SafePods
- Assured Organisational Connectivity – office based
- Assured Organisational Connectivity – remote access
Jurisdictions:
- GB-EAW
- GB-SCT
- GB-NIR
Data Controller:
Department for Science Innovation and Technology
Access Level:
Access Level 3
Format and Standards
Languages:
en
Formats:
CSV
Origin
Name:
ONS SRS Metadata Catalogue