Professional jobs still an exclusive club in the North East

For the North East, these results bite twice as hard, as we see difficult data on social mobility and education outcomes across the region.

For those who do make it as lawyers, journalists or accountants, income potential is lower for those from a poorer background, compared to their more privileged colleagues. It affects more than pay: terms and conditions are worse across the board, and they are less likely to progress. 

The authors of this research state that socio-economic background remains the biggest indicator of future earnings. For this region to grow and succeed, we cannot allow our young people to miss out. 

Outdated funding formulas, lack of skills infrastructure, and less opportunities remain key drivers in this disadvantage, meaning our young people are less likely to secure the professional careers they want. 

This is not about school quality – as the research has shown, time and again – but about the long-term impact of wider factors, and the underfunding of the North East because of Tory austerity. 

Commitments from Mayor Kim McGuiness, to bring together colleges to collaborate on skills, and the introduction of a higher standard on employment through their fair work charter, SHINE, is a strong step towards facing these issues. 

But we need more: the region needs bold industrial strategy, that protects good jobs, and for employers to engage meaningfully with unions on skills. 

Education unions have long raised concerns about the issues around recruitment and retention of educators in schools, and this has a particular impact here. Without the investment desperately needed to fund education, our young people will not have the future they deserve. 

Employers, unions, local and national government must coordinate on skills and education if we are to ensure kids have the options they want: able to access good jobs, enter a profession, and most importantly of all, succeed. We need this not only because it is in their interests; but because that is how we grow our economy, across the whole of the North East. 

First published in the Journal (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), 15 September 2025