Labour market opportunities for young people
Published: 11 September 2024
Data on labour market opportunities for 16 to 29 year olds across the UK, measured by their occupation level and unemployment rate. This index shows which areas offer more or less favourable employment opportunities for young people.
Visualisation
Index of 'labour market opportunities for young people', by local authority (UK)
203 local authority areas in the UK are put into 5 categories based on their ‘index of labour market opportunities’ composite scores. The categories are not equally sized – the middle category is larger because most local authorities are very near the average. Areas with the highest scores have the most favourable labour market opportunities.
Data
| Region | Index of 'labour market opportunities for young people' | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen city | 0.15 | Middle Group |
| Aberdeenshire | -0.58 | Middle Group |
| Angus | -0.95 | Middle Group |
| Argyll and Bute Islands | -1.12 | Unfavourable |
| Barking and Dagenham | -0.63 | Middle Group |
| Barnet | -0.44 | Middle Group |
| Barnsley | -0.53 | Middle Group |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 1.24 | Favourable |
| Bedford | 0.94 | Middle Group |
| Bexley | 0.23 | Middle Group |
| Birmingham | -1.55 | Least Favourable |
| Blackburn with Darwen | -0.93 | Middle Group |
| Blackpool | -0.38 | Middle Group |
| Blaenau Gwent | -0.88 | Middle Group |
| Bolton | -0.47 | Middle Group |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | -0.40 | Middle Group |
| Bracknell Forest | 1.79 | Favourable |
| Bradford | -0.95 | Middle Group |
| Brent | -0.90 | Middle Group |
| Bridgend | -0.77 | Middle Group |
| Brighton and Hove | 0.18 | Middle Group |
| Bristol | 2.07 | Most Favourable |
| Bromley | 1.31 | Favourable |
| Buckinghamshire | 1.48 | Favourable |
| Bury | -0.18 | Middle Group |
| Caerphilly | -0.76 | Middle Group |
| Calderdale | -0.34 | Middle Group |
| Cambridgeshire county council | 0.79 | Middle Group |
| Camden and City of London | 1.89 | Favourable |
| Cardiff | 0.35 | Middle Group |
| Carmarthenshire county council | -1.21 | Unfavourable |
| Central Bedfordshire | 0.63 | Middle Group |
| Ceredigion county council | -0.99 | Middle Group |
| Cheshire East | 0.26 | Middle Group |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 0.64 | Middle Group |
| Edinburgh city | 1.22 | Favourable |
| Clackmannanshire | -0.34 | Middle Group |
| Conwy | -0.56 | Middle Group |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | -0.49 | Middle Group |
| Coventry | -0.79 | Middle Group |
| Croydon | 0.57 | Middle Group |
| Cumbria county council | -0.31 | Middle Group |
| Darlington | -1.04 | Unfavourable |
| Denbighshire county council | -0.70 | Middle Group |
| Derby | -0.20 | Middle Group |
| Derbyshire county council | 0.54 | Middle Group |
| Devon county council | 0.14 | Middle Group |
| Doncaster | -1.00 | Middle Group |
| Dorset | 0.09 | Middle Group |
| Dudley | -0.57 | Middle Group |
| Dumfries and Galloway | -1.29 | Unfavourable |
| Dundee city | -0.81 | Middle Group |
| Durham county council | -1.16 | Unfavourable |
| Ealing | 0.90 | Middle Group |
| East Ayrshire | -0.89 | Middle Group |
| East Dunbartonshire | -0.06 | Middle Group |
| East Lothian | -0.88 | Middle Group |
| East Renfrewshire | -0.42 | Middle Group |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | -0.36 | Middle Group |
| East Sussex county council | -0.34 | Middle Group |
| Enfield | -0.48 | Middle Group |
| Essex county council | 1.14 | Favourable |
| Falkirk | -0.52 | Middle Group |
| Fife | -0.92 | Middle Group |
| Flintshire county council | -0.78 | Middle Group |
| Gateshead | -0.65 | Middle Group |
| Glasgow | 0.65 | Middle Group |
| Gloucestershire county council | 0.33 | Middle Group |
| Greenwich | 0.10 | Middle Group |
| Gwynedd | -1.01 | Unfavourable |
| Hackney | 2.03 | Most Favourable |
| Halton | -0.13 | Middle Group |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 3.05 | Most Favourable |
| Hampshire county council | 0.65 | Middle Group |
| Haringey | 0.62 | Middle Group |
| Harrow | 0.21 | Middle Group |
| Hartlepool | -1.45 | Unfavourable |
| Havering | 2.02 | Most Favourable |
| Herefordshire | -0.04 | Middle Group |
| Hertfordshire county council | 1.13 | Favourable |
| Highland | -0.40 | Middle Group |
| Hillingdon | -0.21 | Middle Group |
| Hounslow | 0.77 | Middle Group |
| Inverclyde | -0.31 | Middle Group |
| Isle of Anglesey | -0.78 | Middle Group |
| Isle of Wight | -0.51 | Middle Group |
| Islington | 2.75 | Most Favourable |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 1.01 | Favourable |
| Kent county council | -0.02 | Middle Group |
| Hull | -0.91 | Middle Group |
| Kingston upon Thames | 0.49 | Middle Group |
| Kirklees | -0.78 | Middle Group |
| Knowsley | -0.96 | Middle Group |
| Lambeth | 4.21 | Most Favourable |
| Lancashire county council | 0.12 | Middle Group |
| Leeds | 0.97 | Middle Group |
| Leicester | -0.70 | Middle Group |
| Leicestershire county council | 0.70 | Middle Group |
| Lewisham | 2.08 | Most Favourable |
| Lincolnshire county council | -0.59 | Middle Group |
| Liverpool | -0.33 | Middle Group |
| Luton | -0.30 | Middle Group |
| Manchester | 0.25 | Middle Group |
| Medway | 0.32 | Middle Group |
| Merthyr Tydfil | -0.76 | Middle Group |
| Merton | 1.81 | Favourable |
| Middlesbrough | -1.79 | Least Favourable |
| Midlothian | 0.05 | Middle Group |
| Milton Keynes | 0.70 | Middle Group |
| Monmouthshire county council | -0.36 | Middle Group |
| Moray | -1.26 | Unfavourable |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | -0.98 | Middle Group |
| Neath Port Talbot | -1.19 | Unfavourable |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 0.26 | Middle Group |
| Newham | 0.39 | Middle Group |
| Newport | 0.27 | Middle Group |
| North Ayrshire | -0.96 | Middle Group |
| North East Lincolnshire | -0.89 | Middle Group |
| North Lanarkshire | -0.75 | Middle Group |
| North Lincolnshire | -1.55 | Least Favourable |
| North Northamptonshire | -0.10 | Middle Group |
| North Tyneside | -0.83 | Middle Group |
| North Yorkshire county council | 0.27 | Middle Group |
| Northern Ireland | -0.86 | Middle Group |
| Northumberland county council | -1.47 | Unfavourable |
| Norfolk county council | -0.59 | Middle Group |
| Nottingham | -0.06 | Middle Group |
| Nottinghamshire county council | 0.12 | Middle Group |
| Oldham | -1.06 | Unfavourable |
| Orkney Islands | -0.38 | Middle Group |
| Oxfordshire county council | 1.40 | Favourable |
| Pembrokeshire county council | -0.76 | Middle Group |
| Perth and Kinross | -0.70 | Middle Group |
| Peterborough | -0.38 | Middle Group |
| Plymouth | 0.26 | Middle Group |
| Portsmouth | -0.18 | Middle Group |
| Powys county council | -0.04 | Middle Group |
| Reading | 1.29 | Favourable |
| Redbridge | -0.11 | Middle Group |
| Redcar and Cleveland | -1.56 | Least Favourable |
| Renfrewshire | 0.03 | Middle Group |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | -0.84 | Middle Group |
| Richmond upon Thames | 0.19 | Middle Group |
| Rochdale | -0.04 | Middle Group |
| Rotherham | -0.81 | Middle Group |
| Rutland county council | -0.00 | Middle Group |
| Salford | 0.59 | Middle Group |
| Sandwell | -1.33 | Unfavourable |
| Scottish Borders | -0.98 | Middle Group |
| Sefton | 0.14 | Middle Group |
| Sheffield | -0.30 | Middle Group |
| Shetland Islands | -1.05 | Unfavourable |
| Shropshire | -0.61 | Middle Group |
| Slough | 0.23 | Middle Group |
| Solihull | 0.29 | Middle Group |
| Somerset county council | 0.46 | Middle Group |
| South Ayrshire | -0.69 | Middle Group |
| South Lanarkshire | 0.14 | Middle Group |
| South Tyneside | -0.57 | Middle Group |
| Southampton | 0.43 | Middle Group |
| Southend-on-Sea | 0.50 | Middle Group |
| Southwark | 2.84 | Most Favourable |
| St Helens | 0.01 | Middle Group |
| Staffordshire county council | 0.28 | Middle Group |
| Stirling | -0.56 | Middle Group |
| Stockport | 1.04 | Favourable |
| Stockton-on-Tees | -1.53 | Least Favourable |
| Stoke-on-Trent | -0.46 | Middle Group |
| Suffolk county council | -0.19 | Middle Group |
| Sunderland | -1.66 | Least Favourable |
| Surrey county council | 1.14 | Favourable |
| Sutton | 1.49 | Favourable |
| Swansea | -0.60 | Middle Group |
| Swindon | 0.40 | Middle Group |
| Tameside | 0.30 | Middle Group |
| Telford and Wrekin | -0.91 | Middle Group |
| Thurrock | 0.71 | Middle Group |
| Torbay | -0.16 | Middle Group |
| Torfaen | -0.67 | Middle Group |
| Tower Hamlets | 2.30 | Most Favourable |
| Trafford | 1.19 | Favourable |
| Vale of Glamorgan | -0.10 | Middle Group |
| Wakefield | -0.52 | Middle Group |
| Walsall | -0.60 | Middle Group |
| Waltham Forest | 0.07 | Middle Group |
| Wandsworth | 3.88 | Most Favourable |
| Warrington | 0.89 | Middle Group |
| Warwickshire county council | 0.80 | Middle Group |
| West Berkshire | 1.03 | Favourable |
| West Dunbartonshire | -0.31 | Middle Group |
| West Lothian | -1.20 | Unfavourable |
| West Northamptonshire | 0.85 | Middle Group |
| West Sussex county council | 0.35 | Middle Group |
| Westminster | 1.74 | Favourable |
| Wigan | -0.04 | Middle Group |
| Wiltshire | -0.08 | Middle Group |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 1.11 | Favourable |
| Wirral | 0.08 | Middle Group |
| Wokingham | 0.94 | Middle Group |
| Wolverhampton | -0.97 | Middle Group |
| Worcestershire county council | 0.22 | Middle Group |
| Wrexham | 0.05 | Middle Group |
| City of York | 0.79 | Middle Group |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
Summary main findings
Data for 2014 to 2022 shows that the ‘north-south divide’ for young people's labour market opportunities was clearer than it was for conditions of childhood.
The most favourable labour market opportunities were in some London boroughs and Bristol. This means young people living there were:
- more likely to be in professional occupations
- less likely to be in working class occupations
- less likely to be unemployed
There were fewer local authorities in Scotland and the north west of England among the areas with favourable opportunities. No local authorities in Wales were classed as having favourable opportunities.
Areas with unfavourable opportunities include older industrial and port areas in the north and the midlands, such as Birmingham, Hartlepool, and Sunderland, as well as some mainly rural areas such as Northumberland and the Shetland Islands.
About the data
Data source(s)
Labour Force Survey (LFS), Office for National Statistics
Time period
2014 to 2022 combined
Geographic area
UK
What the data measures
This page combines data from the following drivers into a single 'composite' score:
- Youth unemployment – data on unemployment rates for 16 to 29 year olds
- Type of employment opportunities for young people – data on young people in working class and professional occupational levels
Things you need to know
Areas are based on where respondents lived at the time they were surveyed, not where they grew up.
To increase the number of survey respondents, we have combined the ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ professional classes into a single category. We have done the same with the ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ working classes.
Data constraints mean that Northern Ireland has to be treated as a single unit. Local authorities have had to be combined in a few other cases.
Type of data
Survey data
Download the data
Download full dataset (CSV, 55KB)
This file contains the following variables:
- Indicator code
- Indicator name
- Area type
- Area code
- Area name
- Time period
- Socio-economic background
- Age
- Sex
- Category type
- Category
- Value
- Unit
- Value note
Page history
Publication release date:
11 September 2024