Labour minister Torsten Bell has called for urgent action to reconnect young people with work, education and training after new figures showed that nearly one in eight remain outside all three.
The latest Office for National Statistics figures estimate that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training—known as NEET—between April and June 2026.
The number fell by 30,000 compared with the previous quarter, taking the total back below one million. The proportion also declined from 13.5 per cent to 13 per cent.
However, the latest total remains 30,000 higher than during the same period last year, underlining the scale of the challenge facing the Government.
Bell, the Labour MP for Swansea West and a minister jointly serving in the Treasury and Department for Work and Pensions, said the figures were another reminder of the urgent need to turn the tide on young people’s participation in both employment and education.
Writing on social media, Bell said:
“Despite a fall in the number and proportion of young people who are NEET, having nearly one in eight young people not participating is a disaster.”
He warned that Britain’s internationally high NEET rate demonstrated the seriousness of the problem, but stressed that the crisis had developed over several years.
Bell said:
“The stats tell us two things: this problem is big, and also that it’s been years in the making.”
The number of young people not earning or learning rose by 248,000 between 2021 and 2024, while apprenticeship starts among young people fell sharply during the previous decade.
The latest figures show that 393,000 young people classified as NEET were unemployed and actively seeking work. A further 588,000 were economically inactive, meaning they were not working and were not currently seeking or available for employment.
Young men continue to be disproportionately affected. Approximately 530,000 young men were NEET, compared with 451,000 young women. The respective rates were 13.7 per cent and 12.3 per cent.
The figures were published as the Labour Government announced that the first young people were beginning paid roles through its Jobs Guarantee, including positions with Boots in retail, administration and warehouse support.
The scheme provides eligible young people with six months of paid employment, with the Government covering wages for up to 25 hours a week, alongside pension contributions and support to help participants move into sustained work.
It forms part of the Government’s wider £2.5 billion youth employment programme, which is intended to support almost one million young people and create 500,000 opportunities to earn or learn over three years.
The package also includes a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for businesses employing eligible young people, apprenticeship reforms and expanded access to work experience and training.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said young people had been denied opportunities for too long and that the Jobs Guarantee would provide “real jobs, proper wages and a genuine route into a career.”
The ONS cautioned against drawing firm conclusions from one quarter’s movement because of volatility in the Labour Force Survey. Nevertheless, the fall is an encouraging first step, while ministers have made clear that sustained action will be required to reverse a crisis that has been years in the making.
