Leicester's skills gap laid bare in new report as city plans 4,400 jobs

Inexperienced staff are being promoted into senior roles due to university graduates lacking "high-end skills", a new report has found. The situation is so bad for Leicester-based employers that a "shortage of skills" is seeing people moved into management positions despite a lack of experience.

The report, commissioned by Fifth Sector, comes as Leicester City Council aims to create 4,400 new jobs in the city by 2030 as part of its new Leicester Leading: 2025-2030 strategy. The report found that at present, employers reported graduates often lacked the "soft skills needed for the world of work", while others did not have "high-end skills" either but were being put into senior roles due to a wider skills shortage.

It also highlighted a decline in Leicester's tech sector over the past three years. Computer consultancy businesses, previously the largest creative employer with 2,500 jobs in 2020, had fallen to just 295 businesses by 2023, reflecting a national trend of sector restructuring following the Covid-19 lockdowns.

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The report found the city's "stock of buildings was seen to be dated and in need of improvement," and identified a "lack of specialist infrastructure" including production facilities. Additionally, the live events sector, in particular, was cited as having a "gloomy outlook."

Despite these challenges, the report revealed that Leicester has nearly three times as many creative jobs as official figures had suggested - 15,600 compared to 5,310. Speaking about the new strategy, Assistant City Mayor for Culture, Councillor Vi Dempster, said: "Over the last decade or so, the city council and its partners have supported Leicester's creative economy with around £75m."

Despite these challenges, the council has unveiled development plans including a new Jewry Wall Roman Experience opening in 2025 and 100,000 sq ft of new workspace across Space City and Canopy creative hub. The Haymarket Theatre will also reopen for performances in 2025.

The council aims to grow the creative workforce from 15,600 to 20,000 by 2030, with potential access to £10 million of Heritage Fund money over the next decade. A new 'signature' festival, 'This is Leicester', is planned for June 2026.

Coun Dempster added: "We want to showcase the city as a leader in the cultural and creative industries."

The Leicester Leading: 2025-2030 strategy aims to increase creative sector jobs to 20,000 by the end of the decade. It was developed in partnership with Arts Council England, De Montfort University and the University of Leicester. The council says the strategy covers a wide range of sectors, including arts, computer consultancies, music, photography, publishing, film and television, design and designer fashion, advertising and marketing, and software and gaming.

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