Towns where 1 in 4 young people are 'Neets' revealed
Doncaster, Grimsby and Warrington named in first study to map clusters of under-25s who are not in work, education or training
Industrial buildings in Doncaster. Researchers found that neet blackspots tended to be in areas with a history of industrial decline. Photograph: Gabriel Szabo/Guzelian
Nearly a quarter of 16- to 24-year-olds are not in work, education or training (Neets) in some English towns – and this is likely to rise in the next few years.
In Grimsby, Doncaster and Warrington, almost one in four under-25s are Neets, says a joint report by the Work Foundation, a job market thinktank, and the Private Equity Foundation charity.
In some cities, such as Oxford, Aberdeen and York, the proportion of 16- to 24-year-old Neets is fewer than one in 10 – far below the national average of 15.6%.
The study is the first to map the towns and cities in England, Scotland and Wales where clusters of Neets aged under 25 are located. The researchers focused on 53 towns and cities. They found that Neet blackspots tended to be in the north of England, in areas with a history of industrial decline that were heavily reliant on public sector employment. Apart from Birmingham, these cities and towns were on the outskirts of major cities, had relatively low-skilled citizens and had struggled to attract private sector firms.
Academics warned that in some areas, there was beginning to be a "sense of no future" and that the coalition's cuts were "needlessly sacrificing" young people.
While in Grimsby, Doncaster and Warrington, one in four under-25s are Neets, in north-east London, a fifth are. In Blackpool, Rochdale, Oldham, Wirral and Ellesmere Port, almost a fifth of 16- to 24-year-olds can be classed as Neets. The same is true in Birmingham, Newcastle, Barnsley, Swansea and parts of east London. However, in Oxford, Aberdeen, Cambridge and Plymouth, fewer than one in 10 are Neets. On average, across England 15.6% of all 16- to 24-year-olds are Neets.
The latest figures show that the number of Neets in this age group hit a record year-on-year high at the end of last year in England: 938,000 young people under 25 were Neets, quarterly statistics from October to December last year show.
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