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Just under one million young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET)

ended 27. August 2026

Just under one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET), according to data published ahead of a major report about a "lost generation".

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were NEET between April and June.

That is an estimated 13% of that age group.

Today's figures are lower than the figures for January to March, when an estimated 1,011,000 young people (13.5% of the total) were NEET.

But they are higher than figures for the same period last year. An estimated 951,000 young people (12.8% of the total) were thought to be NEET between April and June 2025.

  • What is your reaction to the figures?
  • How bad is this for the economy?
  • What advice do you have for NEETs?

Responses asap.

8 responses from the Newspage community

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Kelly SmallcombeVerified
Fractional Chief People Officer at Meliorem HR Consultancy
Nearly a million young people locked out of work isn’t a mystery, it’s the entry-level rung being kicked away. AI is hollowing out the exact tasks people used to cut their teeth on, while the Employment Rights Bill’s day-one protections make employers more cautious about taking a chance on someone unproven. The cost compounds yearly: lost tax, lost skills, lost momentum.

My advice to NEETs: stop chasing ‘entry-level’ roles demanding two years’ experience, that market’s broken. Look at apprenticeships in sectors like defence and manufacturing that are desperate to train people, not hire them ready-made, and build your own network, exposure to work can come through people, not job boards.
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Sam Alsop-HallVerified
Chief Strategy Officer & Co-Founder at Clive Henry Group
One million young people out of work is a national failure, not a statistic. It's a generation we know exactly where to find, and for some groups, including care leavers, the picture is far worse than the headline suggests.

The economic cost is severe and self-inflicted. A year NEET at 18 scars earnings and health well into your thirties. Multiply that by a million and it's a structural drag on productivity, not a social policy footnote. The root cause is how we tax employers. National Insurance makes a first-chance hire most expensive at precisely the point where the risk is highest. We penalise the employer who takes a chance on a young person and reward the one who plays safe. That's backwards. We should be paying employers to take that risk, not charging them for it. Fix the incentive and the numbers move.

To any young person out of work: the system is broken, not you.
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Tony SanchezVerified
Founder at Bridging Loan Directory
These figures are worrying, but NEET covers young people in very different circumstances and should not become a label suggesting they lack ambition.

I have seen the contrast within my own family. One of my children moved directly from a veterinary degree into employment, while my youngest graduated in ecology and is still trying to secure a first role. The difference is not effort or willingness to work; some sectors offer a much clearer route from qualification into employment.

The economic danger is not only the work currently being lost, but young people spending months without the experience employers later expect them already to have.

Young people should remain open to short-term roles and alternative entry routes, contact people already working in their chosen sector and continue building practical experience. Employers must also recognise the contradiction in advertising entry-level jobs while requiring experience that genuine entrants have had no opportunity to acquire.
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Nick ConnorVerified
CEO at The Institute of the Motor Industry
The transition from education into work is fragmented and poorly supported, leaving too many young people to navigate a complex jobs and training landscape alone. Those facing additional barriers are particularly at risk of falling through the gaps. This is not a failure of ambition; it is a structural failure.

Automotive has traditionally provided a vital route into skilled work through apprenticeships, yet starts remain 20-25% below pre-pandemic levels despite strong demand for technicians. SMEs make up over 95% of the sector but face too many financial and administrative barriers to taking on young people.

We need front-loaded financial support for SMEs, a simpler apprenticeship system, earlier careers guidance and better links between education and employment. Making it easier for employers to give young people that crucial first step into work must be a priority.
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Paul DenleyVerified
CEO at Oakham Wealth Management
Nearly a million young people outside education, employment or training is a warning light flashing on the economy’s dashboard. Every NEET represents foregone output and tax revenue but, more importantly, skills, experience and confidence that may take years to build or never be gained at all.

That is corrosive for the economy. A generation disconnected from work today risks lower productivity, weaker earnings and higher welfare costs for decades to come.

My advice is not to wait for the perfect opportunity. Take the unglamorous job, apprenticeship or work experience. Learn a skill, prove your reliability and build a track record. Momentum beats perfection. The first rung of the ladder matters far less than simply getting your foot on it.
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Clive Bonny0
MD at Strategic Management Partners
I'm one of 4 million small enterprises working from home and each year since 2014 I've employed a student during summer months to support my work. They join me in all meetings inside and outside and undertake market research for new services. Each week they create a learning log. After 10 weeks they can show their learning log to potential employers and quickly win a full time job.
https://consult-smp.com/archive/2026/05/student-work-experience.html

https://consult-smp.com/archive/2022/07/how-student-placements-can-promote-your-business-2.html

If UK Gov offered a small internship subsidy to our 4 million small enterprises we could accelerate employment for one million student NEETS
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Justin Brandon0
Director at Scape Interiors West
I run a small business and recently qualified as a Level 5 coach. We took on a neurodivergent team member who'd been out of education, training and work for three years, and used coaching to help rebuild his confidence. We've been impressed by his willingness to try and his work ethic, and we've even used vibe coding to build a coaching app to support the process with structured sessions.

A few things worth naming, for NEETs and small business owners alike:

Confidence is often the barrier before skill is. Three years out erodes self-belief far more than actual ability. Coaching that rebuilds belief first often unlocks capability that was there all along.
Structured entry points matter more than "getting a job." Clear expectations, patience, and adapted communication can succeed where a fast-paced conventional workplace fails.
Small businesses can move faster than institutions. We need judgment, patience, and a coaching toolkit. That's replicable by employers our size
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Caroline Cavanagh0
Anxiety Expert at Caroline Cavanagh Ltd
Today’s figures should encourage employers to look beyond recruitment and ask how are they retaining Gen Z staff?
After 14+ years of working with anxious teenagers, I see a generation entering work with very different experiences, expectations and communication styles to the Gen X leaders who manage them. This isn't about Gen Z being 'snowflakes.' It's about recognising that they need a different style of leadership to help them make the contribution they are capable of.
Too often, Gen Z are recruited and expected to adapt immediately to a workplace designed by previous generations and not supportive of their skills and experiences. The result is anxiety, presenteeism and ultimately resignation.
This is a costly cycle of recruiting, training and losing young employees within their first few years.
The solution isn't to lower expectations but to better equip both young employees and their managers to work effectively together.
To solve youth employment, retention has to be considered.