The geography of poor skills and access to work

Unemployment is central to social exclusion and people with poor skills are disproportionately concentrated in disadvantaged areas.

This report presents new and detailed insights into the changing spatial division of labour and the geography of skills, employment and non-employment.

Drawing on an analysis of data from the 2001 Census, Labour Force Survey and Employers Skill Survey, it assesses the profile of employment in particular areas, in relation to people who are unemployed, their skills and socio-economic status. "Geography of Poor Skills and Access to Work" investigates the changes in the geography and occupational profile of jobs between 1991 and 2001 and identifies the distribution and circumstances of those with poor skills as well as key features of areas that have fared less well economically.

Using new variables available in the 2001 Census on qualifications and periods of unemployment, the book also includes information about the spatial distribution and economic position of people with few or poor skills and those unable to re-enter employment after job loss. The report emphasises the changing occupational structure of employment and the skills intensification of the job market.

It provides a fuller understanding of the differential prospects of those with poor skills according to their location and suggests ways of providing access to jobs for people with different skill levels in different types of local area.