It's grim down south

24 February 2010

It's grim down south, say southern workers

Research reveals a north / south workplace divide

Southerners have a downbeat view of working life in 2020 compared to Northerners, says Friends Provident in its Visions of Britain 2020, a report conducted with the Future Foundation.

The findings reveal a strong north/south divide, with workers in the south citing fears over workload and job security, as their fellow workers / peers in the north paint a more upbeat picture about their job prospects.

Of all workers in the UK, Londoners (49%) and south easterners (46%) worry most about work life balance and achieving a happy medium, compared to 32% of people in the north. This is despite more Londoners working from home – 54% compared to 42% in the north.

Confidence about future job prospects reveals an equally bleak picture in the south. 34% of Londoners expect their job to move overseas compared to 24% in the north. Furthermore, over a quarter of Londoners (27%), feel that their job will come under threat of redundancy compared to, for instance, just 11% of workers in the north east and 22% in the north west.

The report also shows a high level of job dissatisfaction in the south, with 72% of Londoners and 63% of workers in the south west saying they will consider retraining for a new career. 51% of people asked in Yorkshire and the north east plan to re-train for a new career, suggesting a higher degree of job satisfaction in the north than the south.

Trevor Matthews, chief executive officer of Friends Provident, said:

"Despite southerners feeling downbeat about the future it is good to see northerners are positive about the decade to come. Employers in the south need to recognise this feeling of discontent.

"On a national level, our new report paints a worrying portrait of the workplace ten years from now. A workplace polarisation trend has been identified in our report and could lead to a growing band of excluded workers. At the same time a new breed of elite worker is also beginning to emerge, who by 2020 will carry more power than ever before."

One million 'excluded'

Looking at the national picture, Visions of Britain 2020 found that Britain’s workforce has reached a pivotal point and is polarising into two distinct groups – the elite and the excluded – which by 2020 will be the norm. This will have significant implications on employers and individuals, found the study.

The elite – workers in technical, professional and managerial roles - will command more power in the workplace than ever before, requiring employers to radically rethink how they attract and retain their specialist skills. Meanwhile nearly one million excluded workers – typically younger, unskilled males - face poor prospects and limited expectations. The research shows that the attitudes and choices of individuals are the major causes of this polarisation, alongside factors such as the recession and outsourcing.

An elite future

The report however reveals a bright future for the elite worker in 2020. All of the employment experts* who were consulted for the report agree that companies will have to work harder and offer more to attract and retain these elite workers in 2020. Employers will have to do so through making jobs more fulfilling and keeping their elite employees engaged, rather than through salary and benefits.

- Ends -

Journalists requiring further information should contact:

Jo Swift, Cohn & Wolfe - 020 7331 5476

Emma Wylie, Friends Provident - 0845 268 4909

Keith Nolan, Friends Provident - 0845 641 7835

Ref: K012

Notes to Editors