Rotherham has fewest job opportunities for young people in Britain, study finds
The IPPR found that there were just 46 suitable online vacancies for every 1,000 18-24 year olds in Rotherham
Young people in Rotherham face the toughest competition for entry-level jobs in Britain, with just one suitable vacancy for every 22 young adults, new research suggests.
The IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) found that there were just 46 suitable online vacancies for every 1,000 18-24 year olds in Rotherham, compared with 288 per 1,000 in the Cotswolds, meaning young people there have six times more opportunities than in Rotheham.
The think tank says the difference shows that where a young person lives can have a major impact on their chances of getting a foot on the employment ladder.
Lord Jim Knight, former minister for employment and minister for schools, said: “Young people in Rotherham are not six times less talented than those in the Cotswolds; they face six times fewer suitable vacancies.”
The research analysed online job adverts between July 2025 and June 2026, and focused on entry level opportunities.
Almost one million 16 to 24 across the UK are not in employment, education or training, prompting wider concerns about young people struggling to make the transition from education into work.
The IPPR argues that simply focusing on young people’s skills or encouraging the to apply for more jobs will not solve the problem if those jobs do not exist locally.
Harry Parkes, IPPR economist said: “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.”
Rotherham was already struggling to keep pace with the rest of the country before the latest findings.
The number of jobs in the borough grew by just 2.7 per cent over the last five years, compared with 4.3 per cent nationally, while Rotherham has around a third fewer businesses per head than England as a whole.
There are hopes the picture will improve, however, with around 3,600 more jobs expected in Rotherham by 2033 and investment in advanced manufacturing tipped to provide some of those opportunities.
The IPPR is calling for government backed jobs in places such as Rotherham, as well as more apprenticeships and tailored help for young people struggling to find work