Birmingham is the worst city outside London for young people not in employment, education or training (NEET), with 45,000 affected, according to a new report from the Centre for Cities think tank.
The study found that more than a third of all NEETs in England are concentrated within the country's nine largest cities, highlighting what the organisation described as “stark differences” between regions.
Regional divide in youth prospects
London accounts for the highest number of NEETs, with an estimated 117,100, representing one in six of all NEETs across England. Birmingham follows with 45,000, and Manchester with 37,700. Other cities with substantial NEET numbers include Blackpool, where 21 per cent of young people are NEET, and Doncaster, Bradford, Middlesbrough and Barnsley, each at 17 per cent.
At the other end of the scale, York records the lowest proportion at six per cent, with Nottingham at eight per cent, and Bristol, Brighton and Portsmouth each at nine per cent.
Local economies key to solving crisis
Rob Johnson, senior analyst at the Centre for Cities, said: “Getting young people into work or training is a national challenge that will be won or lost in England's cities.”
Johnson added: “In places like Birmingham, the scale of the problem is striking, with 45,000 out of education or training. In other places like Blackpool, the number is small but the proportion of young people affected is very high. This shows there can't be a single national solution. Stronger local economies are essential.”
He continued: “Interventions will only get us so far if areas lack jobs or training places. Mayors need the powers to tackle the barriers that young people face, whether that's skills, training, or the ability to get to jobs and courses from where they live.”
The report suggests that addressing the NEET problem in Birmingham and other cities requires targeted local economic policies rather than a uniform national approach.
