Think tank, The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), found a sixfold gap between job openings for young people in some areas of the country than others
The battle for work can be six times harder in some parts of Britain than others for young people, think tank the IPPR found(Image: Getty Images)
Out-of-work young people face stark differences in their fight for a job depending on where they live, research has revealed.
A report from think tank The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) highlighted vastly more young job hunters for every vacancy in some areas of the country than others. For example, there was around one suitable job opening for every 22 young people in Rotherham in South Yorkshire. That compared to one for every four youngsters in the Cotswolds.
Nine of the 10 areas with the highest number of suitable vacancies per young adults are in the South, whereas four of the worst areas are in the Midlands, with the rest in Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales, and the East of England.
The findings come against a background of almost one million 18 to 24-year olds not in education, employment, or training – or Neets.
The report highlights the fact that it is not simply a question of an individual’s qualifications or willingness to look for work that makes it harder for some than others to break into the world of work.
One option is to try to secure an apprenticeship, a routine proving increasingly popular but where there is a battle for places. However, the IPPR found the availability of apprenticeships can differ greatly by sectors, with health and social work among those offering the most, while the likes of arts and entertainment providing far fewer opportunities.
Its report calls on the government to fund jobs in areas with too few entry-level opportunities, reform apprenticeships to prioritise young people, and create a universal youth employment service. The recommendations come amid a review by former Labour minister Alan Milburn on how to also tackle the Neets crisis.
Lord David Blunkett, former secretary of state for education and employment, said: “I was 16, with no qualifications, little knowledge about further education but with a burning ambition to be independent and fend for myself.
“Born without sight and brought up on a council estate in Sheffield, my route forward was neither straightforward nor assured. I know, therefore, something of what it means to stand at the threshold of adult life without a clear path ahead.”
He went on: “Young people have an immense amount to give. With national ambition, local leadership and the willingness to invest, we can ensure that birthplace does not determine a young person’s future. We can renew the promise that should lie at the heart of any decent society: that no young person will be discarded, that the door to opportunity will remain open, and that everyone will have the chance to build a life of purpose.”
Henry Parkes, principal economist at IPPR, said: “Too much of the debate about youth unemployment starts from the assumption that the problem lies with the young person.
“Our local data shows just how wrong that is. There is a more than six-fold gap in the availability of suitable vacancies depending on where you live.”
