The latest figures published today show that 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET), equivalent to 1 in 8 of young people.[i]

Whilst the figure has dropped below one million since the previous quarter, it is worth stepping back from the latest change and looking at the longer-term picture. Ten years ago, the NEET rate was 11.7%. Since then, it has risen and fallen, reaching its lowest point of 9.7% in April-June 2021 before increasing to 13% today.[ii]

Despite years of different policies and interventions, the UK has struggled to make sustained progress. This isn’t a new problem, and the international picture shows that much lower rates are possible. OECD data shows that the UK performed poorly compared with many other countries in 2016[iii], and by 2024, around 15% of 18-24-year-olds in the UK were NEET, compared with around 5% in the Netherlands.[iv] The Netherlands was already among the best performing countries in 2016 and has maintained one of the lowest rates since. We should be more ambitious than simply trying to return to where we were.

The political context has also changed significantly over the same period. In ten years, the UK has had seven Prime Ministers, a change of governing party, Brexit, a pandemic and major changes to our economy and labour market. Political change isn’t the cause of young people becoming NEET, but the last decade shows the importance of sustained attention to a challenge that cannot be addressed within a single political or policy cycle.

There are positive signs that youth employment is now receiving the attention it deserves. The Alan Milburn review into young people and work has brought renewed focus to the issue, alongside the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s recent inquiry into youth employment, education and training. The Committee has recommended that the government responds to the final recommendations from the Milburn Review within two months of its publication.[v] The priority now must be maintaining that momentum and turning it into action.

At the EY Foundation, we see the number of young people outside education, employment and training as a social mobility issue as well as an economic one. For young people from low-income backgrounds who can already face additional barriers to accessing the skills, experiences and networks that support successful transitions into work, spending time outside education and employment risks compounding that disadvantage. This is why our response cannot begin when a young person becomes NEET.

Supporting the young people who are outside education, employment and training today must be a priority. At the same time, we need greater focus on prevention and earlier intervention. That means giving young people meaningful experiences of the workplace, helping them build essential skills and confidence, and creating clear pathways into further education, training and work. Achieving this at scale means looking beyond individual interventions to how the wider system works. The fragmentation of the current system and the need for a more coordinated approach are highlighted in the Milburn Review’s interim report.[vi] Our Economies of Coordination research with Demos, shows the potential of better coordination between employers, educators and local partners to create more opportunities and pathways into work for young people.[vii]

The upcoming final report from the Milburn Review is an opportunity to turn the current attention into sustained action. Rather than aiming to return the NEET rate to where it was, we should look at what it will take to achieve the much lower rates that other countries have shown are possible. It is time to raise our ambition for young people.

[i] Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK - Office for National Statistics

[ii] Data Dashboard

[iii] Education at a Glance 2017 (EN)

[iv] Education at a Glance 2025 (EN)

[v] Youth employment, education and training

[vi] Young people and work: interim report - GOV.UK

[vii] Stronger links between SMEs, councils and local partners could unlock almost two million apprenticeships and up to £28bn each year in growth, new research finds | EY - Global