'North East effect' holding back young people, social mobility reports warns
A new report on social mobility in the UK has highlighted a “North East effect” that is holding back people in the region from good qualifications, well-paying jobs and other opportunities.
The research by the Government’s Social Mobility Commission highlights “stark” regional divides which “scar” UK society. Analysis of 203 local authorities around the UK found that young people living in former mining, industrial and shipbuilding areas, as well as rural and coastal areas, have the lowest opportunities, while those in London and the Home Counties fare better.
The report highlights Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland among a group of 10 areas of the UK having the ‘least favourable outcomes’, while Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland are classed as having ‘unfavourable outcomes’.
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Young people growing up in these areas tend to end up with lower qualifications and lower pay, the report said, and are more likely to end up in what it described as working-class jobs than young people from the same socio-economic background who grew up in parts of the country with better social mobility.
The report says: “Young and mid-career people who grew up in some less affluent London boroughs – such as Hackney, Haringey, Southwark and Wandsworth – have favourable outcomes. This pattern may be driven by the expanding opportunities that the London Metropolitan area as a whole has seen, rather than by the policies and conditions of specific boroughs. In effect, the London economic environment can be thought of as a ‘rising tide that raises all ships’.
“Turning to the less favourable areas, there is no single pattern comparable to the London effect. The closest parallel to the London effect is a negative ‘North East effect’ comprising less favourable prospects for people who grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, Gateshead, Hartlepool, South Tyneside, Northumberland and Durham.”
The report indicated that there have been some areas of improvement, with unemployment levels among young people at the lowest they have been since 2014, at 11% in 2022 – the latest for which the commission said data was available.
But the commission’s chairman, Alun Francis, said there needs to be a focus on helping young people stuck in “left-behind places” with few opportunities.
In the foreword to the report, he said: “There are now several challenges in the UK which frame our social mobility problem, one of which includes insufficient attention to regional disparities and ‘left behind’ people and places. This is critical and needs urgent attention.”
Earlier this year the Schools North East group called for greater investment in the region’s education system after figures showed fewer young people from the region going on to further education. A-level and GCSE results showed the North East closing the gap slightly on London, but remaining at the bottom of the UK attainment table.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “This report underlines just how vital it is that we tackle poverty and break down barriers to opportunity across the North East - that’s my central mission as mayor and I’m determined that young people should not have to leave the region to enjoy a rewarding and fulfilling career.
“I’m under no illusion as to the scale of the challenge, and I will work with the Government and the region’s business community, and use every power at my disposal, to turn this around. That hard work starts now, and we’ve already taken steps through schemes such as MADE North East, which will train the next generation of skilled workers in automotive, electric vehicles and advanced manufacturing. I want to go much further, and will do everything in my powers to connect people to the opportunities we’re creating in the high pay, high skill jobs of the future.”