Nearly a million 16-24 year-olds not working or in education

26 minutes agoEmer MoreauBusiness reporter

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The number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (Neet) has risen, edging closer to one million.

Official estimates are that 957,000 people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were Neet in October to December 2025, or 12.8% of that age group.

The UK is experiencing a weak jobs market, with young people particularly affected by cuts in hospitality and graduate schemes.

The figures show a slight increase from the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, adding more young people were actively looking for work in the last three months of 2025.

What does Neet stand for and how many are there in the UK?

However, they are slightly lower – 0.4% – than the same period last year.

The ONS said the increase in Neets was driven by a growing number of young women who are out of work.

Some 12.2% of young women were Neet at the end of 2025, which is higher than the previous quarter. But the number of young male Neets dropped slightly in the same period.

A young person is considered Neet if they are unemployed (looking for work) or economically inactive (not actively looking for work and not waiting to start a job or caring for family).

The number of unemployed Neets rose by 12.3% from the previous quarter, while the number of economically inactive Neets fell 6.6%.

Someone in formal education, such as school or university, doing an apprenticeship or vocational course, is not considered to be Neet.

An independent inquiry into the rise in young people not working or studying is under way, with its conclusions due to be published in the summer.

Former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn, who is heading it up, said he would approach the issue “with sensitivity”, and expose any failings in employment support, education, skills, health and welfare.

The largest quarterly Neets total was recorded in July to September 2011, when the number peaked at over a million after the 2008 financial crisis.

The Resolution Foundation said Chancellor Rachel Reeves should make an exception to her ‘policy-free’ Spring Statement and expand support to tackle youth unemployment.

Louise Murphy, senior economist at the think tank, said the UK is “perilously close” to having a million young Neets.

“Today’s data adds to the picture of a generation up against real and complex barriers to finding a good job and improving their living standards.

“But acting sooner rather than later can help prevent these worrying trends becoming an entrenched crisis.”

Last year, Reeves announced that young people who have been out of a job or education for 18 months will be offered a guaranteed paid work placement.

Those who do not to take up the offer could face being stripped of their benefits.

She is now facing calls to pause a government plan to scrap the lower minimum wage for 16 and 17 year olds, as some employers are saying it will make it too expensive to hire young people.

Government sources have told BBC News that ministers are interested in delaying that rise, though are unlikely to reverse the commitment entirely.

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, said they show “the magnitude of the challenge facing young people and the government”.

The number of young Neets has remained “stubbornly close to one million”, he said.

“There is a considerable risk that more young people will slip into long-term worklessness, unless government acts to address the causes of this rise.”

The ONS noted that Neet figures are volatile because of a smaller population compared to figures like unemployment.

The ONS has been criticised recently for the quality of its data, particularly the Labour Force Survey, which is used to compile Neet figures.

The body has said it is making improvements to the Labour Force Survey, including more interviewers to increase the response rate.