Nearly one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET), a new report warns, placing Britain among the worst-performing wealthy European nations.
The figure marks a sharp rise since 2019, when the NEET rate stood at 13%. It has climbed to 15% in 2025, leaving around 900,000 young people outside work or education.
Among 22 comparable wealthy European economies, only Italy and Lithuania have higher rates. The UK performs significantly worse than countries such as Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
The Resolution Foundation attributes the increase to a combination of structural and economic pressures. These include rising ill health among young people - particularly mental health conditions - a weak vocational education system, limited engagement within the benefits system and a softer labour market.
More than half of the rise in NEET levels since 2019 is linked to a weakening jobs market. However, researchers say this does not fully explain the trend. A growing share of young people are now economically inactive rather than unemployed, often due to health-related issues.
At the same time, the number of young benefit claimants not required to engage with work or training has increased from 160,000 to 300,000. This highlights a key difference with lower-NEET countries, where claimants receive more structured support.
The report also points to long-standing weaknesses in vocational education, with fewer young people in the UK entering training pathways compared with their European peers.
The issue is now firmly on the agenda in Westminster, with a government-commissioned review led by Alan Milburn expected to examine barriers preventing young people from entering work.
Ministers say they are responding with a £2.5bn “youth guarantee” scheme aimed at expanding access to jobs and training, alongside £3.5bn in support for people with health conditions.
However, analysts warn that reversing the trend will require long-term reforms across health, education and welfare systems, rather than short-term policy fixes.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy s...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Daily Brief. Here are the top stories for the 10th of September, covering the latest developments about AI a...
Oil has crossed the $100-a-barrel mark again, but for Gulf countries this is not simply good news. Brent reached about $100.07 on Wednesday, its hi...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Oil has crossed the $100-a-barrel mark again, but for Gulf countries this is not simply good news. Brent reached about $100.07 on Wednesday, its highest level since July, as the U.S.-Iran war and attacks on Saudi energy facilities raised fresh fears about supplies.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Daily Brief. Here are the top stories for the 10th of September, covering the latest developments about AI and technology.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to send every American adult a $5,000 payment if the Republicans keep control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in November's midterm elections.
At least five people have died and more than 80 others remain unaccounted for after a passenger ferry caught fire off the western Philippines, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation involving the coast guard, government agencies and local fishing communities.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment