Almost one million young people still not in work or education, figures show

New data shows almost a million young people are still unemployed, uneducated or uneducated.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of 16-24 year olds who are unemployed or economically inactive in the UK, called Neets, fell slightly to 946,000 between July and September, from 948,000 in the previous three months.

This last figure corresponds to one in eight young people.

Unveiling a plan to help young people access paid work, training and apprenticeships, the government said Neet figures had been “too high for too long”.

The number of young people who are NEET has been consistently above 900,000 since the beginning of 2024 and reached 987,000 at the beginning of this year, an 11-year high.

Young people who are not employed may be unemployed – meaning they are actively looking for work – or economically inactive, meaning they are not looking for work.

job market especially challenging for young peopleFigures for 2025 show a decrease in the number of vacancies and fewer people on the payroll.

The majority of NEET youth (580,000) fall into the economically inactive category, while 366,000 are unemployed.

The rise in long-term illnesses among young people has been one of the main causes of economic inactivity over the past three years. according to research By Youth Futures Foundation.

Nathan, 21, is currently NEET and attending a six-week employability course in Leeds. Spear Programa charity that supports young people across the country by coaching them on communication and interview skills.

Nathan told the BBC that working with the charity helped boost his confidence in job interviews.

“I went into several interviews not knowing what to say next,” he added.

“Them [The Spear Programme] It helps you build your confidence going into interviews, so you can speak clearly and clearly state why you’re there.”

Around half of the charity’s referrals come from the job centre, and all young people taking the course have at least three barriers to work; these could be being in care, having less than five GCSEs or mental health problems.

Nathan was excluded from five schools as a child, but now he wants to move on and build a future.

“You don’t realize that between the ages of 16 and 21, these are the ages when you need to start thinking about what you want to do with your life. The school years are important,” he said.

Nathan’s dream is to open his own gym business and he wants a stable job to help him achieve this. He said businesses needed to do more to give young people a chance.

Historically there were more women than men in Neet, but in recent years this trend has reversed.

During July-September 2025, an estimated 512,000 of all male youth aged 16-24 were Neet, while 434,000 of young females were Neet.

According to the Ministry of Education, almost one in five (19.5%) young people who became Neet in 2023 had a mental health problem.

Megan Williams runs the Spear Program and has worked with Neets for over 10 years. He says the charity is seeing an increasing number of young people struggling with their mental health and isolation.

“Many have difficulty doing daily tasks such as getting out of bed, washing, dressing,” he said.

“For many, dealing with work and education seems too far away.”

But employers need to give people with less work experience or qualifications a chance because “there are really job-ready, motivated young people out there,” he said.

Responding to today’s figures, Work and Pensions Minister Pat McFadden said a planned “Youth Guarantee” scheme would enable young people to “access education, training, apprenticeships or ultimately be guaranteed paid employment if they cannot find work”.

McFadden said the government wanted to ensure “every young person, no matter where they are from or their background, has the chance to succeed”.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to provide further details on her bid plans in the budget. guaranteed job placement To young people who have been living on Universal Credit for 18 months “without earning, without learning”. Those who refused to participate may be at risk of losing benefits.

Former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, Department for Work and Pensions, will lead an independent investigation into what is behind the rise in youth inactivity recently announcedwith a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability.

The largest quarterly Neets total was recorded between July and September 2011, when the number rose above one million after the 2008 financial crisis.