We advise policymakers and system leaders on designing evidence-based employment, workforce and education strategy and policy. Drawing on research, stakeholder insights and expert analysis, we help shape reforms that improve outcomes across the employment and education systems.
As an independent centre of research and applied expertise, IES occupies a unique position at the interface between evidence, policy and practice. This enables us to not only generate robust insights into how labour markets and workplaces function, but also to influence the wider policy and institutional frameworks that govern them.
Evidence into action
A core strength of IES is its ability to translate evidence into actionable recommendations that resonate with policymakers and system leaders. Our research combines rigorous quantitative analysis with qualitative insight, ensuring that recommendations are grounded in both robust data and lived experience. IES reports are widely read by government departments, arms-length bodies, sector agencies, think tanks and social partners, and often feed directly into policy consultations, legislative reviews and programme evaluations.
Impact areas
IES’s influence is particularly evident in areas such as workforce planning, employment support, adult skills, equality and inclusion, and health and wellbeing at work. IES has informed major reforms in employment services, contributed to strategies addressing workforce shortages in public services, and provided evidence to support improvements in labour market participation and progression.
Related projects
What works in systems change interventions: A review of national and international evidence