This paper draws on matched data from the Business Structure Database (BSD) and the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) to examine the impact of city-region characteristics on firm-level innovation and growth. We find substantial evidence in production sectors of spillovers from regional...

Public interest in the role of technicians in the UK economy has grown in recent years. One reason for this is the present government’s emphasis on the need to develop vocational skills through Apprenticeship training. Another reason is concerns about filling associate or ‘para’...

This paper draws on matched data from the National Employers Skill Survey (NESS) and the Business Structure Database (BSD) to examine the impact of workforce skills and training on firm growth. Firm growth in both employment and sales is found to be significantly positively related to the...

Average labour productivity (ALP) levels in New Zealand across the whole economy are now almost a third lower than in Australia. This gap began to open up in the mid-1970s and, with some fluctuations, has largely tended to increase over the decades since. Although much attention has been paid to...

This paper makes use of detailed information gathered at university department level, combined with graduate survey data, to assess the impact of different kinds of employability skills initiative on graduate labour market performance. We find that structured work experience has clear positive...

In light of the increased relative demand for skilled labour associated with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), we combine survey data for UK enterprises in 1999 with post-survey financial data for the same enterprises to assess the impact of ICT skill shortages on firms’...