More than four in five 16- to 18-year-olds say they need to move from their areas for better opportunities, including more than 90% of those surveyed in the north-east, Yorkshire and the east of England.
A survey of 2,000 people carried out by the Social Mobility Foundation found that on average more than 85% felt they needed to leave. In the east of England 95% felt that way and the figure was 91% in the north-east, 90% in Yorkshire and 88% in the north-west.
Tom Brennan, 18, who lives in Ipswich, said: “To be honest, the biggest thing going for the town is its proximity to London. There’s not many opportunities or events happening here.”
He wants to be a programmer after he finishes his studies. “There’s not that many computer science roles available here. I’ll probably move to London,” Brennan said. “I would miss my family but other than that there isn’t much I would miss about Ipswich.”
Amna Rashid, 18, who lives in Preston, said: “There’s not exactly much to do here. There’s practically nothing. I usually go to other big cities like Liverpool or Manchester to do things.”
Rashid wants to pursue a career in computer science. “I don’t think it’s possible to do this in Preston. There aren’t many opportunities available in tech,” she said.
She added that she had to travel to London to get work experience. “There are no internships or apprenticeships here,” she said. “[Moving] will affect me emotionally but overall my family is supportive of it. They understand that moving away from Preston is the best thing to do.”
The east of England contains some of the most deprived towns in the country including Jaywick, which has been named the most deprived area in the UK. In 2018, the United Nations special rapporteur visited the Essex town to investigate poverty in Britain.
Lisa Nandy, the shadow cabinet minister for international development, said young people were being forced “to get out to get on [as] the home towns they leave behind have suffered”. She said young people “will no longer have to choose between home and family and seeking new opportunities” under Labour’s aim for the UK to achieve the highest sustained growth in the G7 which would “provide good jobs across the country”.
Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said the findings were “extremely worrying”.
“It shouldn’t be the case that you need to leave to achieve. The sad indictment of modern British society is that where you come from has a profound impact on your life chances. This survey reflects that,” he said. “If you’re serious about social mobility, a redistribution of job opportunities across the country is the number one thing to do on this.”
Major said that “society itself could unravel” if regional disparities are not addressed. “If we don’t do something to address this, in the future we’re going to have an increasingly polarised society where there are some areas that are plentiful in terms of opportunities and others that are deserts of opportunities. Eventually, society itself could unravel if you’re not offering enough opportunities to people around the country,” he said.
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “We want young people to have jobs and choices in the areas they know and love, which is why we are spreading opportunity and prosperity across the UK as part of our ambitious long-term levelling up programme.
“We’re doing this by devolving power out of Westminster into the hands of local leaders, rolling out 12 investment zones and funding levelling up projects across the UK that are securing investment, creating high skilled jobs and transforming our high streets.”
