Thursday, 07 August 2025
A new international report led by Universitas 21 (U21), a global network of leading research-intensive universities, supported by expertise from the University of Nottingham, reveals that low pay, excessive workload, and diminished professional status continue to undermine efforts to recruit and retain teachers in the UK, Sweden, Australia, and the United States.
The newly published report also highlights a critical gap in evaluating the effectiveness of current policies and strategies designed to address these issues.
The report Teacher recruitment and retention: Challenges and Opportunities was developed by the U21 Deans of Education Group to present a cross-country analysis on teacher supply issues and emerging solutions across four national contexts: Australia (New South Wales and Victoria), Sweden, the UK (England and Scotland), and the USA (Connecticut and Maryland).
The report draws on a desktop review of government reports, teacher associations, union publications, academic research, and media coverage, providing a valuable global perspective on a worsening education crisis.
Key findings in the report include, but are not limited to:
Low pay, high workload, and poor status persist as systemic barriers
Teacher shortages are being driven by financial constraints, excessive workloads, and a lack of professional recognition. Teachers in all four countries report high levels of stress and a lack of flexibility alongside well-being concerns.
Countries are deploying various interventions—without strong evidence of impact
Current strategies being deployed to tackle teacher shortages primarily focus on salary increases, incentive payments, bursaries, and workload reduction initiatives. However, these responses vary widely by region and lack consistent evaluation.
A major gap exists in evaluating what works
Despite widespread investment in teacher recruitment and retention strategies, the report highlights a critical gap in there being no systematic evaluation of their effectiveness. This hinders evidence-based policymaking and risks perpetuating ineffective or inequitable approaches.
The report also underscores the deeply local nature of a global problem. Teacher shortages disproportionately affect marginalized and underserved communities, particularly in rural areas and in STEM subjects and special education.
Lead researcher Marian Mahat, Associate Professor of Learning Environments, University of Melbourne said: “The focus of this report is timely and urgent as a sustainable supply of high-quality teachers is essential for improving student outcomes. Without reliable strategies, the capacity of education systems to meet their goals—especially in vulnerable regions—is significantly compromised.”
It is striking that all the jurisdictions included in this report are wrestling with a similar challenge – how to recruit and retain high quality teachers, in particular for schools in the most disadvantaged communities. For the first time, this report draws together the range of approaches being adopted across different contexts, providing a basis for potentially rich policy learning.”
Professor Robin Shields, Head of the School of Education at the University of Queensland and Chair of the U21 Deans of Education added: “Teacher recruitment and retention are global concerns, but their effects are experienced most acutely at the local level. Although initiatives are being implemented, the lack of robust evaluation limits our ability to scale what works. Developing effective, context-responsive strategies is vital to addressing the complex and persistent teacher supply challenge.”
The report offers vital insights for policymakers, education leaders, and researchers, emphasising the urgency of building an evidence base to inform future efforts.
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Toby Greany on Toby.Greany@nottingham.ac.uk
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: 0115 748 4411
Location: University of Nottingham, University Park
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…