A stark new report has warned that former industrial communities across Britain are grappling with 'entrenched disadvantages' stretching back half a century, creating extreme regional divides in opportunity.
A Generation Left Behind: The Neets Crisis and Regional Decline
The Social Mobility Commission's annual State of the Nation report highlights a particularly worrying trend: the rising number of young people classified as Neets – not in education, employment, or training. Between 2022 and 2024, one in seven individuals aged 16-24 fell into this category.
The analysis points to 'extreme regional differences' in childhood conditions, job opportunities, innovation, and economic growth. Areas like Yorkshire, the North East, the Midlands, Wales, and Scotland are identified as still suffering the long-term impacts of deindustrialisation.
Beacons of Hope Amidst Widespread Challenge
Despite the grim national picture, the report identifies several 'beacons of hope' with favourable conditions for future growth. These include Aberdeen, Brighton, Bristol, Cheshire West and Chester, Edinburgh, Oxfordshire, Reading, West Berkshire, and Manchester.
However, Alun Francis, the commission's chair, cautioned that economic opportunity has become 'over-concentrated' in specific places. "Entire communities, often in post-industrial or seaside towns, have been left behind with deep-rooted disadvantages. This is the defining social mobility challenge of our generation," he stated.
A Widening Gap in Professional Careers
The report, the largest collection of UK social mobility data, does note some progress. It found that 48.2% of 25- to 29-year-olds were in professional careers in 2022-2024, a rise from 36.1% in 2014-2016.
Yet this positive trend masks a deepening class divide. The gap is widening between those from privileged and working-class backgrounds who secure these good jobs. Furthermore, women from less affluent backgrounds continue to face greater barriers to high-paid roles than their more privileged peers.
Internationally, the UK performs similarly to countries like France and Japan in enabling young people to exceed their parents' educational attainment. Its job mobility rates are also comparable to other major Western European nations like Germany and Sweden.
The commission's separate evidence to parliament revealed a public shift in priorities. People now value work-life balance, job security, and meaningful work over high income or professional status. Health, wellbeing, relationships, and social connectedness were rated as most important, alongside home ownership and savings. A prevailing sentiment was that life in the UK is not 'fair', with over three-quarters of people seeing themselves in the same social class as their parents.
