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The number of young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK who are not engaged in education, employment, or training (NEET) has climbed close to one million, according to recent estimates. In the period from October to December 2025, around 957,000 individuals in this age group were classified as NEET, equating to 12.8% of all young people. This rise comes amid a challenging job market where sectors like hospitality and graduate recruitment schemes have seen cutbacks, disproportionately impacting young workers.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicates a slight uptick in the number of NEETs compared to the previous quarter, with an increase in those actively seeking work during the last three months of the year. Despite this, the figure remains 0.4% lower than the equivalent period in 2024. The overall rise in NEETs has been driven primarily by more young women being out of work, with 12.2% classified as NEET by the end of 2025. In contrast, the number of young men in this category saw a marginal decrease during the same timeframe.
The definition of a NEET includes both unemployed individuals who are actively searching for jobs and those considered economically inactive—those not currently seeking employment, not awaiting a job start date, or caring for family members. Between the last two quarters, there was a 12.3% rise in unemployed NEETs, while economically inactive NEETs fell by 6.6%. Individuals enrolled in formal education, such as schools, universities, apprenticeships, or vocational courses, are excluded from the NEET classification.
In response to these developments, an independent inquiry is underway, led by former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn, aiming to investigate the causes behind the increase in youth disengagement from work and study. Milburn emphasized that the inquiry would be conducted “with sensitivity” to identify shortcomings across employment support, education, skills, health, and welfare systems. Historically, the highest NEET total in a quarter was over one million in 2011, following the financial crisis of 2008. Meanwhile, think tanks like the Resolution Foundation urge the government to extend additional support for young people, highlighting the urgent need to prevent the situation from worsening into a more entrenched crisis
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