Grim down south? The determinants of unemployment increases in British cities in the 2008–2009 recession

The determinants of unemployment increases in British cities in the 2008–2009 recession, Regional Studies. This paper investigates the impact of the 2008–2009 recession on unemployment in the sixty largest cities in Great Britain. The key determinant of changes in unemployment was the skills of the population, with highly skilled cities experiencing smaller increases. Cities with employment in financial services or manufacturing sectors experienced larger increases in unemployment. Whether a city has a specialized or a diverse economy appears less important than the industries in which the city is specialized. The results highlight a problem as the largest unemployment increases were in cities seen as having least potential for future growth.