Number of young people not in work or education highest for a decade – but it’s not their fault

Up to one-in-eight young people are not in employment, education or training, new figures show – the highest level in more than a decade.

Some 987,000 people aged 16 to 24 were so-called ‘NEETs’ in October to December last year, the latest Office for National Statistics data suggests. 

That’s up from 877,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the highest level since 2013. Nearly a quarter of a million young people fell into the NEET category during the pandemic – and an absence of targeted employment support has seen many stay there. 

• No, Gen Z aren’t lazy workers – they just don’t want your jobs
• Rise in young people not in work or education could fill Man Utd’s Old Trafford stadium
• ‘It’s devastating’: UK’s biggest companies locking autistic people out of jobs with personality tests

Youth unemployment figures often generate headlines about Gen Z ‘laziness’. These aren’t fair, said Ben Harrison, director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University. Young people do want to work – but they’re contending with a “sluggish” labour market and poor quality jobs.

“Contrary to recent commentary, the figures suggest large numbers of young people are actively looking for work but struggling to find it as 392,000 young people are unemployed – and 64% are young men,” Harrison said. 

“However, when they do enter employment, Work Foundation analysis shows that young people are twice as likely to end up in severely insecure jobs as older workers – with potential implications for their future earnings, health and wellbeing.”

Many young people experienced mental health difficulties during the Covid-19 lockdowns. The data released on Thursday (27 February) suggests that they have not yet recovered.

The King’s Trust charity – which works to help young people get a start in life – published its annual Youth Index survey on Thursday. Surveying nearly 500 ‘NEETs’, it found that almost one out of every three (31%) said they would like to work but poor mental health prevented it, while almost one out of every five (19%) said they were applying for jobs every day without success.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) general secretary Paul Nowak described this week’s NEET figures as a “Tory legacy”.

“Every young person deserves a decent start to their working life. But under the Tories, more and more young people became stuck out of work or training, which comes with huge consequences for future opportunities,” he said.

Neet young people “risk long-term harm to their career prospects”, said Stephen Evans, chief executive at Learning and Work Institute (L&W); and “today’s worrying rise may signal further trouble ahead in the absence of economic growth”.

What is Labour doing about youth unemployment?

Last year, the government announced plans for a “youth guarantee”, pledging to provide every 18- to 21-year-old in England with access to education or training to help them find a job. They also announced £45m for eight “youth trailblazer” schemes across the UK.

Secretary of state Liz Kendall wrote in an op-ed for the Telegraph in November 2024 that the new proposals should mean “every young person is either earning or learning – there should be no option of a life on benefits for young people”. 

But narrow eligibility for these schemes mean that some of the most vulnerable young people could lose out, Harrison warned. 

“These figures appear to show that nearly half of NEETs are 22-24 years olds and risk missing out on initiatives such as the Youth Guarantee, which as it stands will be available to 18-21 year olds,” he said. 

“The government should consider expanding these initiatives to allow the largest number of young people to benefit from help to get back into training or employment in the years ahead.”

Nowak welcomed the Youth Guarantee – but added that improved public services and other state support would be required to tackle the staggering figures.

“The youth guarantee is the right step,” he said. “But it must be part of a comprehensive plan to ensure all young people across the country can access high-quality training and decent, well-paid work as well as timely and effective healthcare.”

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.