Dundee is declining faster than any other city in Scotland but the downturn can be reversed, city leaders have vowed.
A new report by charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that only six cities in the north of England are declining at a faster rate than Dundee.
The study, called Uneven Growth: Tackling City Decline, examined a range of factors over the past two decades such as population change, unemployment rates and job creation figures.
Between 2009 and 2013, Dundee lost 5.9% of full-time equivalent jobs, the fifth biggest drop in the UK.
The report was published just 72 hours after The Courier hosted a major jobs summit in a bid to attract new employers to Dundee and create new work in the city.
Dundee was ranked seventh overall in the UK for decline, behind Rochdale, Burnley, Bolton, Blackburn, Hull and Grimbsy.
Andy Pike, co-author of the report and professor of local and regional development in the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) at Newcastle University, said: “Economic and social conditions in UK cities are increasingly different.
“Many cities in the north are growing but failing to keep up with national trends.
“If the commitment to rebalancing in the UK is meaningful then greater policy attention and resources by central and local government needs to be focused upon the particular needs of these cities lagging behind.”
Aberdeen and Edinburgh were both seen as economic success stories although the report was written before the oil price crash.
The report warns that many cities are suffering from a “brain drain” as people move to London for better opportunities.
Dundee City Council leader Ken Guild said: “While the waterfront is a prime example of investment creating employment, and has been for the past decade, other building projects such as schools, houses and community facilities have all produced or maintained jobs in the construction industry.
“But we recognise that simply having jobs building things is not enough, which is why we are committed to education and training for our young people and meeting the attainment challenge faced by the least well off in our communities.”
Tim Allan, chief executive of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, said: “Yes, there is poverty here there is no getting away from that. However, there is currently a lot going on to try to improve things in the city.”