News: New study reveals Rotherham's lack of jobs for young people
A stark new Local Youth Opportunity Index from IPPR reveals a six-fold divide in the availability of suitable jobs for young people depending on where they live.
Young people in Rotherham have just 46 vacancies for every 1,000 young adults, compared with 288 in the Cotswolds.
The issue of NEETs, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", has long been on the agenda in places like South Yorkshire.
IPPR is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. Its latest analysis measures the number of suitable online vacancies relative to the number of 18 to 24-year olds in a local labour market and finds that there is around one suitable vacancy for every 22 young people in places like Rotherham, compared with one for every four young people in the Cotswolds.
Allthough it should be said that the link between Sheffield and Rotherham operating as one economy will mean that “suitable” vacancies looked at in the study ("occupations likely to offer entry-level opportunities, based on relatively low entry and experience requirements") outside of the borough will be accessible to Rotherham residents. For example, at Meadowhall.
National statistics centre on participation in education, training and NEET, age 16 to 17. The figure in Rotherham has been rising since 2019, when it stood at 195. It had hit 313 by 2023 before reducing to 289 in 2025.
The 2026 figure for NEETs aged 16 to 17 in Rotherham is the highest since 2019 at 342. At 5% of the 16 to 17 population, it marks a significantly poorer performance than comparator areas.
The charity says that the findings underline that becoming NEET is not simply a question of an individual's qualifications or willingness to look for work with young people facing an unemployment rate more than three times that of the wider workforce.
The authors warn the government that the employment-support system is failing to reach a large part of the population it is supposed to help. Jobcentre Plus is principally organised around people receiving Universal Credit, yet around half of young people who are NEET do not receive it. For those that do claim, the system remains too focused on compliance and work-search requirements.
A drop in the number of apprenticeships is also highlighted as having an impact on NEET figures.
Lord David Blunkett, former secretary of state for education and employment, 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. We can renew the promise that should lie at the heart of any decent society: that no young person will be discarded, that the door to opportunity will remain open, and that everyone will have the chance to build a life of purpose."
Lord Jim Knight, former minister for employment and minister for schools, added: “IPPR's report dispels the myth that nearly a million young people are out of work because they lack aspiration. Young people in Rotherham are not six times less talented than those in the Cotswolds; they face six times fewer suitable vacancies."
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Rotherham's Employment and Skills Strategy 2026-2031 has a target for partners to reduce the number of 16–18-year-old and 18–24-year-old residents categorised as NEET and an action to create a "Joined Up and Tailored Provision for 16–24-year-olds."
Another action is for partners to develop targeted, person-centred interventions for young people at risk of becoming NEET. This includes "triaging and guidance; engaging schools, employers and parents/guardians; addressing barriers to work through 1-1 coaching and personalised support; and matching young people to opportunities for work and training."
Support focused on young people who are struggling in the labour market includes the council-funded Ambition project which supports young people to access employment, education or training, with half of these participants moving into the labour market.
The pioneering South Yorkshire approach of the Pathways to Work service works specifically with young people and through the Employment Solutions team in Rotherham, the Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to recruit young people with a paid job role for up to three months that is intended to lead to sustainable employment.
Another example is the traineeship programme linked to the Children’s Capital of Culture and Work Ready Placement Programmes specifically designed for NEETS.
Coordinated and accessible careers education in the borough is also highlighted as having an impact as pupils encountering employers are less likely to become NEET when they leave school.
National programmes include a Jobs Guarantee scheme and the Youth Jobs Grant and this week it was announced that a new scheme to offer 18-24-year-olds work experience is being developed with Britain’s biggest retailers. Young Futures Hubs and Youth Hubs are also being rolled out across the country but funding is yet to reach Rotherham.
Whilst Rotherham has seen large increases in productivity, and support may be there for young people, it is the lack of jobs that the analysis highlights.
The Rotherham Together Partnership has placed the economy at the forefront of its latest long term plan. It picks out that unlocking the full potential of Rotherham Gateway is a gamechanger, along with thriving town centres and growing a fair and thriving economy.
In addition, Rotherham is a key part of the Don Valley Corridor programme that has been given prominence as a growth area for South Yorkshire.
Henry Parkes, principal economist at IPPR, said: “Too much of the debate about youth unemployment starts from the assumption that the problem lies with the young person. Our local data shows just how wrong that is. There is a more than six-fold gap in the availability of suitable vacancies depending on where you live.
“You cannot solve a shortage of opportunity simply by asking young people to search harder. We need to create the first rung of the employment ladder in places where it is missing – and rebuild apprenticeships so that every sector is playing its part in giving the next generation a route into good work.”
IPPR website
Images: Pexels / This Is Engineering
Young people in Rotherham have just 46 vacancies for every 1,000 young adults, compared with 288 in the Cotswolds.
The issue of NEETs, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", has long been on the agenda in places like South Yorkshire.
IPPR is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. Its latest analysis measures the number of suitable online vacancies relative to the number of 18 to 24-year olds in a local labour market and finds that there is around one suitable vacancy for every 22 young people in places like Rotherham, compared with one for every four young people in the Cotswolds.
Allthough it should be said that the link between Sheffield and Rotherham operating as one economy will mean that “suitable” vacancies looked at in the study ("occupations likely to offer entry-level opportunities, based on relatively low entry and experience requirements") outside of the borough will be accessible to Rotherham residents. For example, at Meadowhall.
National statistics centre on participation in education, training and NEET, age 16 to 17. The figure in Rotherham has been rising since 2019, when it stood at 195. It had hit 313 by 2023 before reducing to 289 in 2025.
The 2026 figure for NEETs aged 16 to 17 in Rotherham is the highest since 2019 at 342. At 5% of the 16 to 17 population, it marks a significantly poorer performance than comparator areas.
The charity says that the findings underline that becoming NEET is not simply a question of an individual's qualifications or willingness to look for work with young people facing an unemployment rate more than three times that of the wider workforce.
The authors warn the government that the employment-support system is failing to reach a large part of the population it is supposed to help. Jobcentre Plus is principally organised around people receiving Universal Credit, yet around half of young people who are NEET do not receive it. For those that do claim, the system remains too focused on compliance and work-search requirements.
A drop in the number of apprenticeships is also highlighted as having an impact on NEET figures.
Lord David Blunkett, former secretary of state for education and employment, 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. We can renew the promise that should lie at the heart of any decent society: that no young person will be discarded, that the door to opportunity will remain open, and that everyone will have the chance to build a life of purpose."
Lord Jim Knight, former minister for employment and minister for schools, added: “IPPR's report dispels the myth that nearly a million young people are out of work because they lack aspiration. Young people in Rotherham are not six times less talented than those in the Cotswolds; they face six times fewer suitable vacancies."
Advertisement
Rotherham's Employment and Skills Strategy 2026-2031 has a target for partners to reduce the number of 16–18-year-old and 18–24-year-old residents categorised as NEET and an action to create a "Joined Up and Tailored Provision for 16–24-year-olds."
Another action is for partners to develop targeted, person-centred interventions for young people at risk of becoming NEET. This includes "triaging and guidance; engaging schools, employers and parents/guardians; addressing barriers to work through 1-1 coaching and personalised support; and matching young people to opportunities for work and training."
Support focused on young people who are struggling in the labour market includes the council-funded Ambition project which supports young people to access employment, education or training, with half of these participants moving into the labour market.
The pioneering South Yorkshire approach of the Pathways to Work service works specifically with young people and through the Employment Solutions team in Rotherham, the Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to recruit young people with a paid job role for up to three months that is intended to lead to sustainable employment.
Another example is the traineeship programme linked to the Children’s Capital of Culture and Work Ready Placement Programmes specifically designed for NEETS.
Coordinated and accessible careers education in the borough is also highlighted as having an impact as pupils encountering employers are less likely to become NEET when they leave school.
National programmes include a Jobs Guarantee scheme and the Youth Jobs Grant and this week it was announced that a new scheme to offer 18-24-year-olds work experience is being developed with Britain’s biggest retailers. Young Futures Hubs and Youth Hubs are also being rolled out across the country but funding is yet to reach Rotherham.
Whilst Rotherham has seen large increases in productivity, and support may be there for young people, it is the lack of jobs that the analysis highlights.
The Rotherham Together Partnership has placed the economy at the forefront of its latest long term plan. It picks out that unlocking the full potential of Rotherham Gateway is a gamechanger, along with thriving town centres and growing a fair and thriving economy.
In addition, Rotherham is a key part of the Don Valley Corridor programme that has been given prominence as a growth area for South Yorkshire.
Henry Parkes, principal economist at IPPR, said: “Too much of the debate about youth unemployment starts from the assumption that the problem lies with the young person. Our local data shows just how wrong that is. There is a more than six-fold gap in the availability of suitable vacancies depending on where you live.
“You cannot solve a shortage of opportunity simply by asking young people to search harder. We need to create the first rung of the employment ladder in places where it is missing – and rebuild apprenticeships so that every sector is playing its part in giving the next generation a route into good work.”
IPPR website
Images: Pexels / This Is Engineering
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