Full Breakdown
UK Youth NEET Figures Slip Below 1 Million in Q2 2026
8/28/2026, 5:50:19 AM
Core Event
On August 27, the Office for National Statistics reported that 981,000 people aged 16-24 were not in employment, education or training (NEET) in the April-June quarter of 2026, dropping the total below the 1 million mark for the first time since the first quarter of the year. The share of the age group classified as NEET fell to 13.0%, down from 13.5% in the previous quarter.
Background & Context
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of 16-24-year-olds outside work or study has risen to one of the highest levels in Europe. A May report by former minister Alan Milburn warned of a “lost generation” of NEETs, projecting that one in six could be NEET within five years and blaming the welfare system for “exacerbating inactivity”. The same report highlighted a sharp decline in low- and medium-skill entry-level jobs over the past decade.
Data & Statistics
- NEET count: 981,000 (April-June 2026) vs. 1.011 million (January-March 2026).
- Annual change: +30,000 NEETs compared with the same period a year earlier, driven largely by an increase of 25,000 young men.
- Gender split: 530,000 men and 451,000 women among the NEET population.
- Between 2021 and 2024, the number of NEETs rose by 248,000.
- The Work Foundation found that 36% of employers reduced entry-level jobs for 16-24-year-olds in the last 12 months.
- Starter-job vacancies have fallen 49% over the last decade, leaving roughly one vacancy for every three NEETs.
Official Statements & Responses
The government has commissioned former health minister Alan Milburn to review education, training and employment services for young people, with recommendations expected in the autumn.
Criticism & Opposition
- Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, argued that reducing the cost of employment is the quickest way to stimulate jobs for young people.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Work Foundation research indicates the number of ‘starter’ jobs accessible to people entering work for the first time has fallen by 49% over the last decade, leaving only one starter vacancy for every three Neet young people nationally.” — Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality.
