Sheffield is a low-wage high-welfare economy says new report

New figures have revealed how Sheffield's economy compares to other cities across the UK.
Sheffield City CentreSheffield City Centre
Sheffield City Centre

A report from Centre for Cities has ranked Sheffield 45th out of 62 cities when it comes to welfare and earnings.

Based on figures from 2010-2014, the Cities Outlook report found that Sheffield’s average weekly wage of £453 was behind the £504 average.

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The top earning city was London with £629 and the lowest was Hull with £376.

The report found that 70 per cent of Sheffield residents were in employment, ranking the city 41st out of 63.

Sheffield was ranked 23rd out of 59 cities when it came to residents having five GCSEs between A*-C, with 55 per cent of people making the grade.

When it came to unemployment, the report found that 2.5 per cent of residents were claiming benefits.

This gave Sheffield a rank of 47th out of 63.

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Alexandra Jones, chief executive of Centre for Cities, said this year’s report focused on the Chancellor George Osborne’s vow to build a ‘higher wage, low-welfare’ economy in Britain, as set out in the Summer Budget 2015.

She said that nearly half of the UK’s cities are classed as having ‘low-wage, high-welfare’ economies – including Sheffield.

Sheffield Council were unable to comment on the findings in the report.

Ms Jones added: “Cities Outlook 2016 highlights the size of the challenge facing the Government in building a high-wage, low-welfare economy, and the importance of supporting and empowering UK cities in order to make that vision a reality.

“One of the most pressing issues is the need to tackle skills gaps and improve schools attainment, especially in low-wage high-welfare cities.”