Government papers: State of the Nation 2017

This report assesses the progress that Great Britain has made towards improving social mobility. As well as assessing social mobility in different geographical locations, it also includes an insight into people’s working lives and pay levels.

Key findings:

• Two-thirds of high-skilled, knowledge-based jobs are located in cities, and in England one in three of these jobs is in London. But high housing costs and low pay for many city residents mean that only 12 per cent of towns or cities make it into the top 20 per cent of social mobility hotspots in this life stage.
• Low pay is pervasive throughout the country, with more than 30 per cent of residents in 71 largely rural areas earning below the voluntary living wage: average earnings in West Somerset are £312 a week but £670 in Wandsworth.
• One of the recommendations put forward by the report is for local government to support and incentivise accredited voluntary living wage employers and ensure that the local council is also accredited.

The report uses a range of 16 indicators for every life stage, from the early years through to working lives, to construct a social mobility index.