[ad_1]
The research, by the Social Mobility Commission (SMC), put Sussex alongside Surrey and London as some of the most socially mobile areas.
It also found that people raised near London, Manchester and Edinburgh have the best chance of getting a professional job – no matter what social background they come from.
Children growing up in or around these cities are more likely to end up in jobs such as medicine and law or to become business chief executives than people of the same socio-economic background from other areas.
The 2023 State of the Nation report, published this week, found young people also tend to have better prospects for higher education, occupation and earnings if they grew up around London, even after their socio-economic background is taken into account.
On this point, Alun Francis, chairman of the SMC, said: “The data shows why it’s just as important to look within areas as it is between them.
“And, despite popular narrative, there isn’t a clear cut north-south divide.”
While the report shows geographical inequalities across the country, there is no simple pattern of well-off and badly-off areas, researchers said.
People growing up in Cornwall, East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and the Scottish Highlands had a lower chance of moving upwards in terms of social mobility, as well as a higher chance of moving from a so-called professional class background to a working-class job, the commission said.
Across the UK, people growing up in Northern Ireland have the lowest chance of moving from a working class background to a “professional” job, the research suggested.
The commission’s report – which it described as a first-time look at a detailed regional breakdown of social mobility prospects including education, occupation and pay – also showed it is now harder than ever for young people to buy homes.
The SMC used data from the Office for National Statistics, including the Labour Force Survey, as well as other academic research for its report.
[ad_2]
