Rotherham faces one vacancy for every 22 young people as UK youth job gap widens
IPPR research shows stark regional gaps in youth employment, with Rotherham offering just 46 suitable jobs per 1,000 young people - about one vacancy for every 22 youths - while the NEET count hovers near one million.
A new IPPR study maps the most and least favourable UK locations for young people seeking work, exposing severe regional disparities. Rotherham in South Yorkshire tops the list of areas with the fewest suitable vacancies, offering only 46 jobs per 1,000 youths - roughly one opening for every 22 young people, 58 % below the national average. East Renfrewshire, Broxtowe and Newcastle-Under-Lyme follow, while the East and West Midlands each contribute four of the twenty worst-performing authorities.
In contrast, the Cotswolds leads the best-performing areas with 165 % above the average, joined by Woking, Gloucester, Tonbridge and Horsham. The NEET population edged down to 981,000 from 1.01 million earlier in the year. Former employment minister Lord Jim Knight and former health minister Alan Milburn urged the government to launch a targeted job-creation scheme and overhaul apprenticeships, while the government cited a £2.5 billion investment in youth hubs and hiring incentives.
Why it matters
Regional job gaps leave millions of UK youths without prospects, deepening inequality and economic risk.
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