Number of Neets climbs to 957,000, up 11,000 on previous quarter, ONS says, driven by rise among young women
The number of young people in the UK not working or in education has risen closer to a million, figures show, as a government adviser warned that society’s expectation of each generation doing better than the next was “now being broken”.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people aged 16 to 24 who were not in education, employment or training (Neet) rose to 957,000 in the final three months of last year, equating to 12.8% of this age group.
The figure was up from 946,000 in July to September. The number of young women classed as Neet rose by 13,000 while the number of young men fell by 2,000. In total, 510,000 young men and 448,000 young women were classed as Neets.
There are increasing concerns that young people in the UK are faring badly in the jobs market, with unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds above the EU average. The data shows that the number of young people who are inactive – meaning they are not looking for a job and are also not in education or training – fell by 34,000 in the quarter but remained high at 547,000.
