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Concentrations of worklessness have been persistent in the UK for several decades but have not been tackled effectively by policy. An individualised approach to unemployment has existed, alongside employment policies that lack a strong geographical component. A reliance on area-based regeneration programmes has shifted from a property-led approach to a holistic approach, with the potential to address a range of factors associated with employment. To gauge the effectiveness and appropriateness of holistic area regeneration, this paper uses longitudinal survey data to examine movements into and out of employment for people living in deprived areas of Glasgow with concentrated worklessness and subject to area regeneration. There were modest net gains to employment over time in the study areas, and such gains were positively associated with traditional elements of regeneration such as housing improvements and community empowerment. However, other components of regeneration assumed to aid employment, such as social networks and participation in training, were found to have no effect. Other factors that were associated both with entering and leaving employment feature less frequently within regeneration programmes and require more integration into future approaches, particularly increasing physical activity among populations, helping people cope with physical and mental health issues, and improving transport and mobility.
Kearns et al. (Wed,) studied this question.