Rotherham has the fewest job opportunities for young people in the UK, with only 46 vacancies for every 1,000 people in that age group, an analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has found.
The figures highlight a stark postcode lottery in the prospects available to young people, as almost one million remain outside education, employment or training.
Areas with the greatest number of opportunities have roughly six times as many vacancies per young person as those at the bottom of the table. East Renfrewshire, south of Glasgow, was the second-worst area, followed by Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire.
South Staffordshire and Ceredigion in west Wales were also among the areas with the fewest opportunities. Four of the ten worst-performing places are in the Midlands, while nine of the ten areas with the highest vacancy rates are in the south of England.
The national average was 109 vacancies per 1,000 young people. Sheffield recorded 60, Coventry 62, and Newcastle and Birmingham 65 each.
By contrast, the Cotswolds had 288 opportunities per 1,000 young people, followed by Woking in Surrey and Gloucester.
Young job opportunities vary sharply by area
The IPPR said the slowdown in hospitality, leisure and retail could be contributing to rising numbers of young people not in education, employment or training. The sectors have traditionally employed large numbers of younger workers and often provided their first job.
It suggested that higher employment costs, including increases to the minimum wage and employer National Insurance, may have led businesses in those industries to reduce recruitment. The report also raised the possibility that older people remaining in work beyond state pension age could be limiting the number of openings for younger workers.
Artificial intelligence could also be eroding the “first rung” of the jobs ladder by carrying out routine tasks more cheaply than young employees, the IPPR said.
The organisation called for a government-funded “Work Start” programme aimed at areas with too few opportunities. It also urged ministers to reform apprenticeships, which it said had been “majorly failing” to help young people out of NEET status.
The report recommended replacing Universal Credit for young people with a new youth allowance. It said Jobcentre Plus was organised around Universal Credit claimants, even though around half of young people who are NEET do not receive it.
Lord David Blunkett, the former education and employment secretary, said: “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.”
Lord Jim Knight, a former employment and schools minister, said the findings challenged the idea that young people were out of work because they lacked ambition.
“Young people in Rotherham are not six times less talented than those in the Cotswolds; they face six times fewer suitable vacancies,” he said.
There were 981,000 people aged between 16 and 24 who were not in education, employment or training between April and June, according to the latest estimate cited in the report. The figure had exceeded one million in the first quarter, and around two-thirds of the recent rise involved people no longer looking for work.
The latest total was 30,000 higher than when Labour took office. Business groups have warned that further employment rights due to be introduced in the coming months could make employers more reluctant to hire.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has described youth unemployment as a “top priority” and said it had been ignored for too long. Former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn is preparing a government-backed review, with recommendations intended to help more young people into work.
Mr Milburn has warned that almost one million young lives being on hold is “a scar on this country”. He has also said that reducing the number of young people who are NEET would require investment and could not bring savings before the end of the decade.
He has suggested allowing regional mayors to retain and reinvest money saved from the welfare bill in areas where local action has helped people into work.
