Manchester better than London for graduates

The north of England is better for graduate jobs and work-life balance than London, a new report has revealed.

Manchester came top for matching graduate work opportunities and affordable housing, followed by Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham, according to the report by the Intergenerational Foundation (IF).

London missed out on a top spot because, even though there are job opportunities, graduates struggle to afford the high housing costs.

No-go areas for graduates included Christchurch, Poole, Bexley, Worthing and Southend because there are few jobs and housing is expensive.

Angus Hanton, IF co-founder, says: “Young people want both to work and to be able to afford housing but in most of the UK they can only do one or the other.

“While London offers many job opportunities, the capital’s housing crisis means young people may have good jobs but their income is swallowed up by high housing costs. They could have a better work-life balance by looking north instead.”

Angus adds: “There is a huge untapped pool of graduate opportunities outside London, with businesses missing a trick by not locating in these areas.”

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