Regional divide in skills will stifle UK growth, says report

Economic growth in the UK risks being held back by a "skills chasm" between regions, as London and south-east England suck in highly qualified workers, according to the Learning and Work Institute (LWI).

- Heather Stewart

The gap between high and low-skilled areas of the UK is already wider than in many comparable countries and is forecast to widen, the thinktank says.

If trends continue, 71% of Londoners and 65% of adults in Scotland will have a degree by 2035, compared with 29% in Hull and East Yorkshire, and 39% in Norfolk, it says.

The institute's research showed that 27% of adults in the West Midlands have qualifications below GCSE level, compared with just 9% in west London - a gap that is wider than in most European countries.

In Ireland, Norway and Finland there is little difference between the proportion of people with low skills across different regions.

The proportion of people with higher education qualifications is twice as high in some parts of the UK than others, varying from two-thirds in London to one-third in Greater Lincolnshire.