The Work Foundation at Lancaster University responded to the latest figures on young people not in education, employment or training (November 2025) released by the Office for National Statistics. Rebecca Florisson, Principal Analyst, Work Foundation at Lancaster University commented on the figures that showed 946,000 young people aged 16-24 who were NEET in total:

“Today’s data shows that the number of young people aged 16-24 not in education, employment, or training remains stubbornly close to one million. With unemployment across the labour market rising and vacancies having declined over the last 12 months, there is a serious risk more young people will slip into long-term worklessness without further Government intervention.

“The UK has had a significant population of NEETs for over 20 years, but the challenge has evolved with fewer of these young people actively looking for work. Currently, 61.3% of NEETs are in economic inactivity – not actively looking for work or studying – but this is far higher for young women (70.4% vs 53.6% men).

“In addition, recent DWP data indicates nearly half of young people not in employment, education or training are now classed as disabled (45.8%) – a rise of 24.3 percentage points since 2013/14. This could have significant implications for the earnings of young people, with the Keep Britain Working Review estimating a 22-year-old who falls out of work for health reasons could be more than £1 million worse off over the course of their lifetime.

“The Government’s Youth Guarantee has the potential to help address these issues, but only if additional support kicks in earlier than the 18 months currently proposed – evidence shows that the longer you spend out of work, the harder it is to return. The Guarantee must also be aligned with improved access to health support for young people, especially relating to mental health, and ensure the jobs on offer are secure, with fair pay and routes to progression.”