Not being able to earn enough is why people are turning away from mainstream parties and democracy.
It’s why there is so much anger around. In the UK, one in three cannot afford the basics while few industrial areas have recovered from the 1980s.
Experts, politicians, “the system,” are all seen as failures by people and places that cannot earn enough to live. And Reform are capitalising, leading Labour by 1 point in the latest YouGov poll.
To defeat that cynicism and restore hope, we must create a nation where every person and place can earn enough. And there is a way – by creating good non-graduate jobs across the country. That is how we beat Reform.
You shouldn’t have to go to university to earn enough to afford a decent life. Making sure non graduates can gain rewarding, well-paid work is key. There are two routes for creating these jobs – 1) building green and transport infrastructure and, 2) expanding social infrastructure with jobs in health, care, and early education jobs.
Technological change destroyed mid-pay manufacturing jobs
As I’ve written here, technological change destroyed mid-pay manufacturing jobs (that are now performed by machines) and left behind an economy with high-pay graduate jobs in London (think data analyst) and lots of low-pay non-graduate jobs everywhere (think barista).
Technological change, by destroying the good manufacturing jobs, has left few good jobs for non-graduates. It also led to economic decline in formerly industrial areas with a heavy manufacturing base. Non-graduate (men) who saw their fathers leave school and get good jobs in the local factory now see few routes to a good job. Reform’s support is rising amongst these non-graduates and in formerly industrial places.
READ MORE: ‘How Labour can fix the worst economic inheritance since 1945’
Non-graduates, on average, do not earn enough to afford the basics needed for a family. A two-earner couple with children need to earn around £35,000 each for a decent living. The average non-graduate salary is £29,500 while the minimum wage is worth around £24,000 per year.
But some non-graduate jobs, those that require more training, pay higher wages. An experienced home insulation installer can expect to earn around £40,000. However, record-high national employment rates mask the fact that there are some areas where it’s hard to find any work. In Middlesborough, for example, more than one in three working age people are not working compared to 25% nationally.
Two ways we can create good non-graduate jobs
We have to create more good non-graduate jobs across the country if we want everyone to earn a decent wage. There are two ways we can do this.
Firstly, by building green and transport infrastructure. The next stage of the green transition, which involves the physical transformation of our world, will need a lot of non-graduate workers in construction jobs. That’s why our Warm Homes Plan is such a good policy.
It both means creating good non-graduate jobs across the country and getting energy bills down. Similarly, we need to build a lot more transport infrastructure in formerly industrial areas. This will create better connected areas, reduce carbon emissions and, again, create lot of good non-graduate jobs.
READ MORE: Reform and Tories both outpolling Labour among working-class voters
Secondly, we need a lot more social infrastructure in the form of health, education, and caring jobs. The Darzi report showed that we need to move care to the community to get waiting lists down. We need more community nurses and healthcare workers. With the right training, these can be performed without needing a degree.
The key benefit of both these routes is that they are automatically weighted toward more deprived areas. Social needs are higher in more deprived areas as is the need for home insulation and transport infrastructure. It’s pretty neat, as Gen X used to say.
Making sure everyone can earn enough means creating good non-graduate jobs across the nation. That is the way we defeat Reform – by showing people that democracies can deliver. We can make sure everyone earns enough by creating enough good jobs across the nation through building green, transport and social infrastructure. Now we must do it.
Read more on Rachel Reeves’ growth plans:
For more from LabourList, subscribe to our daily newsletter roundup of all things Labour – and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, Threads, X or Facebook .
- SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
- SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
- DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
- PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
- ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].
Value our free and unique service?
LabourList has more readers than ever before – but we need your support. Our dedicated coverage of Labour’s policies and personalities, internal debates, selections and elections relies on donations from our readers.
