On the move: how to create a more mobile workforce

In this report it is argued that in a third of local authorities that make up the eight city regions in the UK, no major employment sites (defined by having 5,000 or more jobs) are within a 20 minute commute by public transport and 80 per cent of these local authorities have an unemployment rate above the national average. The report suggests that making it easier for people, especially those on low incomes, to commute a further 20 minutes each way would put them within touch of two or more major employment sites, and potentially 10,000 more jobs. An extra 20 minutes would double the average commute but the attraction of better jobs and higher wages would be a reason to travel further.

The report puts forward a number of proposals for improving access to major cities. These include: offering tax benefits to commuters who use ride-sharing schemes and free parking in city centres for car sharing; the introduction of part-time rail tickets to reduce the fares for commuters who travel to work three or four days a week; the devolution of rail franchises to local transport bodies in city regions to encourage the spread of smart ticketing, and transferring responsibility for London's suburban commuter services to Transport for London; and devolving the commercial bus subsidy to local government to improve routes and bring down fares. The research also shows that smaller isolated cities and coastal towns cannot access any major employment centre within either a 20 or 40 minute public transport journey. These places struggle with persistently high unemployment and are effectively cut off from opportunities elsewhere. The report proposes that personalised welfare budgets and relocation packages to incentivise the best teachers to work in their schools can help people who live in these areas access jobs further afield.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less