Young people in Rotherham face the weakest local jobs market in Britain, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) that highlights stark regional divides in youth employment opportunities. The think tank's "local youth opportunity index" tracks job vacancies across Britain and found a sixfold gap between the worst and best areas, prompting warnings that where a young person lives can determine their chances of finding work, independent of their qualifications or effort.

Rotherham has just 46 online job vacancies for every 1,000 young people, compared with 288 in the Cotswolds, and nine of the ten best-performing areas are in southern England. Sheffield, Coventry and Cardiff also rank poorly, while Woking, Gloucester, Cherwell and Warrington offer the most opportunities. The findings come as ministers await a major review by Alan Milburn into youth worklessness, due next month, amid figures showing more than 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds are not in employment, education or training. The IPPR is calling for an overhaul of apprenticeships, a new "work start" jobs programme, and a "youth allowance" to replace variable universal credit rates.