Too many young people in North Staffordshire are having to leave the area to find 'meaningful' work, an MP says.

Newcastle-under-Lyme MP Adam Jogee told the House of Commons that 18 to 24-year-olds in his constituency faced 'profound' challenges, with just 57 suitable vacancies per 1,000 residents in that age group.

Mr Jogee led a Commons debate on jobs and employment in Staffordshire on Monday, and said he hoped this week's Budget would include measures to boost the county's economy, improve the skills of its young people and address transport problems.

He also called on the government to prioritise Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent for a mayoral strategic authority, which he believes will be able to address these issues through devolved powers and funding.

Local organisations including Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, local councils, employers and education providers wrote to Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week calling for mayoral devolution.

Mr Jogee told fellow MPs that while Newcastle is 'synonymous with workers and working' with a proud industrial heritage, action is needed to ensure the borough's young people are able to access 'the jobs of the future'.

He said: "Young people across Newcastle-under-Lyme are facing some of the most profound challenges in the country when it comes to entering the world of work.

"In my constituency, there are 57 suitable vacancies per 1,000 residents aged 18 to 24, which is 47 per cent below the national average.

"Those statistics make for sobering reading.

"A shortage of quality jobs, or the lack of skills required for the jobs that are available, means that so many of our talented young people feel forced to leave the community they call home to seek and find meaningful work elsewhere.

"Communities like Newcastle-under-Lyme lose out not just on economic growth, but on the dynamism and skill that bright local people bring to the jobs market.

"Those who choose to stay in their community face the entrenched inequalities typical of our industrial heartlands."

Mr Jogee praised local efforts to boost skills and employment, such as Staffordshire Chambers' business start-up training for aspiring entrepreneurs and Newcastle and Stafford College Group's successful bid to become an advanced manufactured technical excellence college.

He told the Commons that the creation of a mayoral strategic authority would help unlock investment and the creation of well-paid jobs.

A number of Staffordshire MPs contributed to the adjournment debate, with Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell calling for more support for employers looking to take on apprentices, and highlighting the need for adult reskilling opportunities, due to 'technological advances often outpacing the skills of the people already in work'.

Employment Minister Andrew Western, who responded for the government, said Mr Jogee's concerns chimed with the PM's ambition to 'deliver growth in every postcode'.

He said: "Growth is not an abstract economic concept; it is about whether people can find good work, whether businesses can access the skills they need and whether communities, such as those across Staffordshire, can realise their full potential.

"Staffordshire has significant strengths to build on, with a skilled workforce and strong businesses across advanced manufacturing, including ceramics and logistics, construction and energy.

"We have recognised the contribution of advanced manufacturing in the Government's industrial strategy and are working with industry to develop a jobs plan for the sector."

Mr Western said that developer Indurent's plans to invest £800 million in Staffordshire over the next few years is a 'clear vote of confidence in the county'.