More than one million young people not in work or education, says ONS
Official figures show 613,000 young people are economically inactive, while the review says entry-level jobs and support are not keeping pace.
- The Office for National Statistics revealed that young people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment, or training rose to 1.01 million, representing 13.5% of all young people and the highest level since 2013.
- Review author Alan Milburn warned the career ladder is "simply out of reach," attributing the crisis to a "failure of a system stuck in the past" and 1.6 million fewer entry-level jobs in the economy.
- Data shows 613,000 young people are economically inactive—a record high—while IPPR research found a "fundamental imbalance" where £25 is spent on benefits for every £1 invested in employment support.
- Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden announced plans for 300,000 extra work experience placements over three years, with the DWP aiming to give young people "the best start in their career."
- Without urgent policy action, the number of NEETs could reach 1.25 million within five years, as Milburn warned the "AI revolution" makes swift intervention essential to prevent further deterioration.
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Research: this is 13.5% of people between 16 and 24 years of age, is record. Under accusations the Starmer government: "There are no support and opportunities for training" . "There is a risk of losing an entire generation." The causes? "The psychological discomfort, true or presumed, isolates young people. We invest on subsidies and not on employment. But welfare gives a check and not a life project."
‘We can’t afford 1m of young people not in education, employment or training’ – Work and Pensions Secretary
Today’s report calls for more focus on helping the 1 million young people in the UK who aren’t in education, work or training. We spoke to the Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden and asked him what the systemic changes called for by Alan Milburn’s report, actually look like.
Britain's Million Missing Young Workers - Mpelembe Network
Rebuilding the Broken Ladder: Strategic Interventions to Save the UK’s Entry-Level Job Market Fri, May 28 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The United Kingdom is facing a severe youth detachment crisis, with the number of young people Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) surpassing 1 million, which equates to roughly one in eight young people. If left unaddressed, this figure could surge to 1.25 million within five years. This trajectory leave…
A New Youth Jobs Crisis Demands System Change
Alan Milburn’s interim findings from his Independent Review, Young People and Work, published yesterday, warn of a growing generational fault line, with more than one million young people not in education, employment or training. That amounts to 13.5% of all young people in the UK: the highest level since the aftermath of the financial crisis, when the rate peaked at 17%. Britain has been here before. In the early 1980s, youth unemployment regul…
More than one million Britons aged 16 to 24 are neither in employment nor education. This is the first time since 2013 that the figure has topped one million. The number of young Britons considered unemployed rose by 55,000 between the last quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of this year. According to a new report by the British government, 13.5% of Britons in this age group are neither in employment nor education, or a total of 1,012,000. Th…
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