Rochdale is a young jobless blackspot

Rochdale has been highlighted as one of the worst areas in Britain for young people without work and the social skills to get a job, according to a new report.

The Work Foundation identified 12 areas in the UK where the number of 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) was above 20 per cent for their age group.

Five were in the North West – Blackburn, Blackpool, Rochdale, Wigan/Warrington, and Wirral/Ellesmere Port.

The other seven were Glasgow, Swansea, Grimsby, Birmingham, Barnsley, Newcastle, and Doncaster.

Report author Paul Sissons warned that many lack the social skills to get a job, and this gets worse the longer they are without regular employment.

He said that these young people need extra help at "this crucial point of transition" from school into work.

With more and more jobs in the service sector, rather than manufacturing, Mr Sissons says too many NEETS lack the soft skills needed such as "communication, team working, and customer service" to get work.