UK Youth NEET Total Falls to 981,000 as Economic Inactivity Drops by 28,000
Updated
Updated · Positive.News · Sep 21
UK Youth NEET Total Falls to 981,000 as Economic Inactivity Drops by 28,000
2 articles · Updated · Positive.News · Sep 21
Summary
981,000 UK 16- to 24-year-olds were classed as NEET in April-June, down 30,000 from the previous quarter and taking the total back below one million.
Most of the decline came from economic inactivity, which fell by 28,000, while unemployed young people who were NEET dropped by just 2,000; the rate eased to 13% from 13.5%.
20,000 more 18- to 24-year-olds have joined payrolls since March, The King’s Trust said, suggesting some young people previously outside the labour market are moving into work or job search.
74% of East Midlands Youth Guarantee Trailblazer participants who completed a programme moved into work, education or training, with evaluators pointing to one-to-one support and relationship-building as key.
The improvement still faces structural limits: starter jobs have fallen 49% over a decade, 84% of 417 surveyed NEET young people said they wanted work or study, and the ONS warned against reading too much into one quarter.