‘Levelling up’ basic skills could create 573,000 jobs in England

Levelling up basic skills could boost employment by up to 302,000 in the most deprived areas and 573,000 across the whole of England, according to a new report.

The report by Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) calls on the government to address skills inequality in the UK to help solve the employment crisis and to deliver on levelling up.

In some parts of England, the report says the proportion of people without any formal qualifications is as low as one in 40, while in others it is more than one in five.

If the share of the local working age population without any formal qualifications were reduced in every area to the rate seen in the top 10% of local authorities, CPP estimates employment in England would be up to 573,000 higher.

The analysis suggests this employment cost is concentrated in the most deprived fifth of local authorities, where tackling basic skills inequality could boost employment by up to 302,000.

For example, in Sandwell in the West Midlands and Pendle in Lancashire– two of the most deprived areas of England – more than 20% of the local working age population lack any formal qualifications.

The report’s model suggests that reducing this percentage to the rate enjoyed in places like Richmond upon Thames and Bath and North East Somerset – around 3% – is associated with an employment uplift of up to 3,700 in Pendle and 14,300 in Sandwell.

Helping people onto and up the skills ladder can give England’s most deprived areas a significant employment boost as the government seeks to build back better after coronavirus.

The CPP has called on the government to support skills training by offering free childcare and transport for learners lacking any formal qualifications and simplifying the funding system.

‘Too many people are cut adrift from economic opportunity because they lack basic skills. CPP’s analysis has shown that helping these people onto and up the skills ladder can provide a massive boost to employment, particularly in the country’s most deprived areas. If the government truly is committed to getting people back into work and ‘building back better’ after coronavirus, then they must start by levelling up skills in the most deprived parts of the country,’ said research analyst, Andy Norman.

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