It comes as ex-Labour Cabinet minister Alan Milburn publishes his first major government-commissioned report into the number of ‘Neets’ - those not in education, employment, or training22:30, 27 May 2026Updated 22:34, 27 May 2026Britain is at risk of a “lost generation” amid fears 1.25million young people could be out of work, training or education within the next five years.‌Alan Milburn will issue the stark warning on Thursday and claim the welfare state and health systems used by young people are no longer fit for purpose. It comes as the former Labour Cabinet minister publishes his first major government-commissioned report into the number of ‘Neets’ - those not in education, employment, or training.‌The latest Office for National Statistics figures published in February showed around 957,000 young people aged between 18 and 24 are estimated to be ‘Neets’ - or one in eight. But Mr Milburn’s interim review will warn this could rise to one in six young people by 2031 - representing an estimated 1.25million people.‌He will say: “Six in ten have never had a job. Twenty years ago, that figure was closer to four in ten. Detachment is no longer temporary. For too many young people it is becoming permanent. We are at risk of a lost generation.”The ex-Health Secretary in Tony Blair ’s government is also expected to say entry-level jobs have long been in sharp decline with hospitality positions halving in the last four years alone. Mr Milburn will say: “The first rung of the career ladder has thinned. For too many young people it is now simply out of reach. That places them in a hopeless Catch-22 where employers ask for work experience but the opportunities for young people to gain it have narrowed or gone.”‌He is expected to call for urgent action and tell the Government the issue “should be the priority”. He will say: “This is not a failure of young people. It is a failure of a system stuck in the past. Whether it is education or health or welfare, that system fails to enable their participation in the labour market.“Instead, all too often it ends up putting young people on a path to a life not in jobs but on benefits. This should be the priority for the Government. It should be the priority for all of us.”Setting out some of his findings last week, Mr Milburn warned of a “bedroom generation” and saying anxiety linked to social media is driving economic inactivity among young people. His review is also set to claim 84% of ‘Neets' surveyed said they wanted a job or training, which it said challenges the narrative that young people do not want to work.‌The research also found that for every £1 spent on employment support for young people, around £25 was spent on benefits, which it describes as a “fundamental imbalance in how public money is spent”.Stuart Machin, Chief Executive at Marks & Spencer said: "This report lays bare the joblessness crisis facing a generation of young people. The findings are shocking but not surprising - I hear them every day from our colleagues and customers, who are worried that opportunities and role models are disappearing.“A Saturday job in retail changed my life, built my confidence and gave me the skills to build a fulfilling career. We have a chance to provide a similar path to every young person.”Article continues belowGeorge Bangham, head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), added: "When nearly 1 million young people are neither in employment, education nor training, this points to a system-wide failure. It’s refreshing to see the Milburn review identify this, and reject lazy tropes about this problem somehow being young people's own responsibility."Most young people want to work, but too few jobs are available to them in many local areas, as NEF research has shown. Job vacancies are at their lowest level in 12 years, outside of the pandemic lockdowns – and young people are struggling more than others to land the few jobs available.”