PURPOSE: To produce a Pd/K/Au, Pd/K/Ba or Pd/K/Cd supported catalyst built up in the form of an outer layer and to use the catalyst for preparing vinyl acetate from ethylene, acetic acid and oxygen in the gaseous phase.

CONSTITUTION: Support particles are impregnated with a solution of salts of the corresponding elements and then dried to produce the objective catalyst. The dynamic viscosity of the solution is at least 0.003 Pa.s and the solution volume in the impregnation is more than 80% of the pore volume of the support particles. The duration of the impregnation and also the time until commencement of the drying are selected so as to be sufficiently short for the metallic salts to be present in an outer layer of 5-80% of the pore volume of the support particles after completion of the drying.