Job creation and wage growth should be at the heart of the government’s efforts to level up the economy, according to a report by the Living Wage Foundation.
The campaign group said that the government should avoid skewing its investment towards infrastructure projects, such as roads and bridges, if they do not improve job prospects for residents. In a survey of more than 2,000 adults, the foundation said that residents of former “red wall” towns who voted Conservative in the last general election were more likely to prioritise jobs and pay when asked what would improve their living standards.
Sixty-five per cent of residents in areas such as Bishop Auckland and Don Valley said that the availability of more jobs was one of their top
