Ensuring a high-quality teaching workforce is a top priority for effective learning. However, common challenges such as an aging workforce, gender imbalances, lack of teacher diversity, qualified teacher shortages in specific schools, regions or subjects, and high attrition rates pose significant hurdles. Examining the socio-demographic characteristics of the teacher workforce is crucial to estimate the number of teachers needing to be replaced. Alongside student numbers projections, workforce dynamics can help plan recruitment needs strategically. Ideally, recruitment plans should aim to foster gender balance and teacher diversity so that all students are exposed to role models they can relate to.
Teachers and educators
Learning is influenced by many factors: student family background, skills and motivation. But the single most important factor within schools is teaching and quality of teachers and instructors.
![](/https/www.oecd.org/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--7e5dd4cd-9065-48ab-91c3-6e3cbd0106aa/teachers-and-educators-1145576060.jpg?preferwebp=true&quality=80)
Key messages
Given growing demand for teachers world-wide, countries need to make the teaching profession more financially and intellectually attractive to attract top talent and ensure students receive the neccessary skills to thrive. However, there is no magic bullet and one-size-fits all solution. As a result, education systems need to leverage the most appropriate policy levers to their specific context. In some systems, aspects related to work organisation (e.g. high-quality professional development, collaboration, autonomy) may be more powerful than financial elements. Other possible avenues include diversifying pathways into teaching or some degree of career differentiation to provide mid-career teachers with scope for continued professional growth.
To address teacher shortages, countries must not only focus on attracting new teachers but also prioritise the well-being, intellectual fulfilment and job satisfaction of teachers currently in the profession. This entails offering attractive salaries and working conditions, opportunities for professional learning and growth, social status and professional autonomy. TALIS findings suggest that teachers are calling for a reduction in their administrative loads, which is a key source of stress, and leads some to consider leaving the profession prematurely. The findings also suggest that school support and job satisfaction can reduce the association between stress and risk of attrition.
Context
Teacher age
In 2018, the average age of teachers across the OECD was around 44. Over time, several countries have seen the average age of their teachers increase.
Percentage of lower secondary teachers, by age group and average age of teachers (2018)
![Figure: Percentage of lower secondary teachers, by age group and average age of teachers (2018)](/https/www.oecd.org/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--65fdd2d6-8fbe-4dbf-8430-623dac259f0b/figure-teachers-age-2019.jpg?preferwebp=true&quality=80)
Teacher gender
In 2018, 68% of all teachers are female, on average across the OECD, and women make up more than half of the teaching workforce in almost all participating countries and economies. Gender patterns in the teaching profession are enduring, and change little over time for most countries and economies.
Change in gender balance among teachers from 2013 to 2018
![Figure: Change in gender balance among teachers from 2013 to 2018](/https/www.oecd.org/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--e0d97eb4-ad06-40bf-8d63-26ec717338c5/figure-change-in-gender-balance-among-teachers-from-2013-to-2018-2019.jpg?preferwebp=true&quality=80)
Related data
Related publications
Programmes and projects
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The OECD Indicators of Education Systems (INES) programme seeks to gauge the performance of national education systems through internationally comparable data.Learn more
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TALIS - the Teaching and Learning International Survey - is the world's largest international survey about teachers and school leaders.Learn more
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PISA is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment. PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.Learn more
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The Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) provides and promotes international comparative research, innovation and key indicators, explores forward-looking and innovative approaches to education and learning, and facilitates bridges between educational research, innovation and policy development.Learn more
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The Education Policy Outlook is an analytical observatory that monitors the evolution of policy priorities and policy developments from early childhood education to adult education, mainly among OECD education systems, to provide a comparative understanding of how policies are evolving, and how they can be best implemented or improved over time.Learn more
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The OECD’s programme on education and skills policy support policymakers in their efforts to achieve high-quality lifelong learning, which in turn contributes to personal development, sustainable economic growth, and social cohesion.Learn more
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Add a short description – maximum 200 characters (4 lines). This should outline the OECD’s mandate and the main issues/challenges with respect to the project. Writing style and tone should be clear, to the point, and jargon-free.Learn more
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The Higher Education Policy Programme carries out analysis on a wide range of higher education systems and policiesLearn more
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The OECD’s expanding evidence base has highlighted the importance of high-quality teachers and teaching in education. Yet, challenging questions remain, and there is a need for space in the teacher debate to anticipate future developments, to strengthen professional identity and to support proactive teacher policy making.Learn more
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The PISA-based Test for Schools provides school-level estimates of performance and information about the learning environment and students’ attitudes gathered from student questionnaires. Find out more and how schools and their networks can take part.Learn more
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Since 2013, the OECD has gathered evidence on how school resource policies work in different contexts. The focus is now on digital resources to enable countries to learn from each other in the digital transformation of their education.Learn more
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Meeting the challenges of the 21st Century means that schools must be empowered to play a more central and active role in leading improvements in education. To support this, Schools+ will bring together major education networks to put schools at the centre of education design.Learn more
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The Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS Starting Strong) is an international, large-scale survey of staff and leaders in early childhood education and care (ECEC).Learn more
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Across the OECD, enormous investment and effort has aimed to reinforce the quality, production and use of education research in policy and practice. Despite this, strengthening the impact of research in education policy making and practice remains a challenge for many systems.Learn more
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The Teacher Knowledge Survey (TKS) examines what teachers know about teaching and learning, and how their specialised knowledge of pedagogy relates to their work and training.Learn more