Nearly half of the new jobs created in England over the last decade were in London and the south-east.
IPPR North, a think tank discovered that 47 per cent of new jobs created between 2009 and 2019 were in London or the south-east.
Jason Fowler, vice president, HR director for Fujitsu UK and Ireland believes this is a problem for companies.
Mr Fowler said:
With the skills gap costing UK business £4.4 billion a year, it is worrying to see such a significant regional divide when it comes to the creation of new jobs. It is time that organisations think more strategically about their future and shake up this London-centric thinking. The UK holds enormous potential and unlocking this with more jobs across the country is key to a healthy economic development.
As we begin a new year and a new decade, social mobility will become a more pressing issue, and I hope to see more organisations change the way they find, recruit and progress talented employees from different social class backgrounds. But this also means tapping into the regional potential when it comes to opening a new office or relocating one. Cities like Bristol and Manchester – where the tech sector has created thousands of jobs – are a perfect example of how businesses can benefit from talent across the UK.
To sustain the competitiveness of the UK economy, we – private and public organisations – need to ensure that opportunities are being spread out equally across the country. By focusing so heavily on the South East – and putting all their eggs in one basket – means there is a whole pool of talent out there being overlooked. Businesses nationwide need to do more to ensure these opportunities are open to everyone across the country.
Over the decade, England saw jobs increase by 3.8 million from 26.7 million to 30.5 million. In London and the south-east, the number of jobs rose by 1.8 million from 9.2 million to almost 11 million. The report also found that a third of the population of England live in London and the south-eats.
The north-east, north-west and Yorkshire and the Humber only saw 17 per cent of new jobs created is located in these regions.
CV-Library, who found London, Manchester and Bristol have the poorest workers. With Aberdeen, Hull and Edinburgh being the richest.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
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