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The NEET Generation: How Did We Get Here?


I was struck by the data released this last week by the Office for National Statistics  -see the link here:



The data showed that the number of 16-24 year olds not in work or education is close to one million! To be exact, the number is estimated at 957,000. This is huge. This means that 12.8% of all 16-24 year olds are not working or in education. There has been a rise of 200,000 since 2022 (Mellor, 2025). Not only this, but this figure is the worse in the developed world – worse than both Europe and the US! More troubling still, is arguably this could get worse.  


The term, Not in Education, Employment or Training,(NEET) is used to categorise this group of people.  NEET was first used in the late 1990s (in the UK) with the purpose of the category used to capture those young people (16-18 year olds) not in traditional education or unemployment. Then over time, the age expanded to 16-24 year olds and was also adopted by other countries. The United Nations also use NEET indicators in global statistical databases. Think Tanks such as the Resolution Foundation have said that the government should expand access to work placements and reconsider its plans to reduce the differential between minimum wage rates for 18–20-year-olds and older workers (Milliken, 2026).


These are very worrying trends. When one looks at these statistics in detail – it seems that this one million of young people seem quite far from the reaching the ‘world of work’. For example, 60% have never had a job (the highest figure ever reported for NEETS) and one-third report a disability or chronic health problem (Murphy, 2025). To start to plan a way forward for this group of people, one must try to understand what is causing these depressing trends and there are arguably a few factors contributing to this worrying situation.


Let’s unpick this.


Think Tanks, such as the Resolution Foundation, claim the following:

  • Fewer entry‑level roles as employers cut back on hiring 

  • Higher wage costs and national insurance contributions for employers 

  • Long‑term sickness and mental health issues affecting young people 

  • Lower job vacancies overall, now at their lowest in five years.

(Resolution Foundation, 2026)


We need to also look at our education system too. We know from the data that over the last eight years children missing from school has risen steadily.  Independent analysis shows persistent absence among primary pupils has increased from about 11% in autumn 2019 to around 16% in autumn 2025, and among secondary pupils from 15% to around 23% over the same period (Beynon, n.d.). There’s no denying that covid 19 exacerbated this. We now have a situation where one in twenty-five is absent at least half of the time.  Even though Local Authorities have a legal duty to track these students but there are young people slipping through this increasing net. Alongside this, we have trends revealing that young people reporting mental health problems have risen more in the UK compared to other countries (Institute of Fiscal Studies , 2026).

What can be done about this?

·       Consider a pause on further minimum wage increases – as this might stop young people being hired?

·       Consider what needs to change in schools to help bridge the gap between home and school.

·       Identify disengagement earlier on.

·       Look at what our education system is doing to make young people employable and to help the transition between education and work.

·       Look at what experience young people need to gain work and address some of these skills in school and college.

 

The Resolution Foundation produced this report in October last year (2025) – it’s an interesting read False-starts.pdf.


References

Beynon, K., n.d. Pupil absence in Autumn Term 2025/26, s.l.: Education Data Lab.

Institute of Fiscal Studies , 2026. The disappearance of the hump shape in illbeing by age, s.l.: s.n.

Mellor, J., 2025. FE Week. [Online] Available at: https://feweek.co.uk/milburns-panel-of-experts-for-rising-neets-review-named[Accessed 2026].

Murphy, J. D. &. L., 2025. False starts , s.l.: Resolution Foundation.

 

 
 
 

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