New figures show one in seven workers or jobseekers in Peterborough do not have any qualifications

About 15,000 workers and job seekers in Peterborough do not have a single qualification, according to new figures.​

It means that 14 per cent (14,950) of Peterborough’s 107,100 people who are eligible to work – equivalent to one in seven – do not have any qualifications triggering concerns that not enough is being done to widen people skill levels.

But the statistics have prompted one business leader to warn that they do not highlight a ‘lost generation’ and that everyone regardless of qualifications still has plenty to offer.

The 2021 Census figures have been released by the Office for National Statistics and also show that 12 per cent had at least one GCSE or equivalent qualification while 14.9 per cent had five or more GCSEs at A* to C to levels nine to four.

Some 18.6 per cent had two A-levels or equivalent, and 32.1 per cent had a degree or higher education qualification.

Combining all the figures shows that the Peterborough workforce ranks 38th in the East of England and 313th across England and Wales.

But Boston in Lincolnshire has the worst qualified workforce in England and Wales, where 19 per cent of workers and jobseekers have no qualifications.

In contrast, just 3.7 per cent of City of London work-eligible people have no qualifications, the highest in the country.

Hannah Slaughter, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: "Policy makers and firms need to do far more both boost and broaden people’s skills and qualifications.

"This investment will raise incomes, boost growth and help to 'level up' the country."

She added: "Qualifications and training are an important driver of employability and pay growth.

"The stark qualifications divide uncovered by the census will have worsened already damaging pay and income gaps between places across Britain.”

But Vic Annells, chief executive of Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce said: “I left school without A Levels or O Levels. Everyone still has plenty to offer and they are not worthless – this is not a lost generation.

“The Chamber is leading a Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) on behalf of the Department for Education to understand the type of jobs businesses have in Peterborough and the skills the need.

"We are working with the education sector to identify what skills are need for the future and how people can be equipped with those skills.”

Business are urged to take part in the skills survey by visiting the LSIP website.

Other Census figures show 15,830 (15.7 per cent) of 100,968 workers in Peterborough were in professional occupations.

Across England and Wales, 5.6 million people (22.2 per cent) worked in a professional occupation.