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The success of English higher education (HE) depends upon the skills and dedication of its staff, who are faced with increasing expectations from a range of stakeholders. This report considers the higher education workforce under the following topic areas: the strategic and policy context; capacity and composition of the workforce; the future need for staff; recruitment, retention and progression; pay and pay modernisation; equal opportunities and diversity; and leadership, governance and management. In consultation with higher education institutions (HEIs) and other stakeholders, a workforce framework has been developed with the aim of helping to inform strategic planning at the institutional level. The paper suggests that the HE workforce will become increasingly diverse in its gender and ethnic mix, better reflecting the make-up and composition of the student population. The HE sector will also need to tackle issues around the ageing population of academic staff, and the effect on the HE workforce of declining demand in some subjects. A look ahead to future need for staff indicates that changes in funding, managerial policy and practice, workforce restructuring, and the use of technology and other factors, all influence staffing levels in HEIs. However, there is a lack of detailed analysis and monitoring of risk associated with staff shortages, or of current remedial actions being taken in the sector.