There are nearly one million NEETs in the UK who are neither educated nor employed, giving the government a hard time.
In the UK, the increase in 'NEETs' - people who are not receiving education, employment or vocational training - is seen as a danger. Peter Irwin, director of the Centre for Employment Studies at the University of Westminster, introduced the UK government's measures to combat NEETs.
Britain has almost 1 million young people not in work or education – here's what evidence shows can change that
It is estimated that there will be approximately 987,000 NEETs aged 16 to 24 living in the UK as of December 2024. This is 13.4% of the total number of people in that age group, and is said to have increased by about 2% since the COVID-19 pandemic began around 2019. Approximately 40% of NEET young people are currently looking for work, while the remaining 60% are not.
According to Irwin, young people, especially those with lower educational attainment, tend to become NEET when they leave compulsory education and move on to post-16 study, or when they move from study to work.
Historically speaking, the NEET rate in 2024 is not that high, and is lower than, for example, 2008, when the global financial crisis occurred. However, the government is trying to implement welfare reform, as the UK's productivity growth has been weak since the global financial crisis and the country may face the same challenge again if the economic situation worsens.
The two schemes Irwin introduced were
Personal Independence Payment is a subsidy given to people with a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, and whose symptoms make it difficult for them to carry out certain daily tasks or move about. It is unique in that it can be received regardless of whether or not they have a job or savings. Health, Disability and Universal Credit are monthly benefits to help with living expenses, and are available to people on low incomes and who are unemployed. The UK government is proposing to remove these two eligibility requirements from people under the age of 22.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: 'These changes will save us more than £5 billion a year over the next 10 years,' explaining that they will not only save money but also encourage more young people to join the workforce.
But Irwin points out that simply encouraging people to work won't solve the mental and physical problems some people face.
Many young people report mental health problems, and the number of people aged 16 to 34 suffering from mental illness and who are NEET due to long-term illness is expected to reach 250,000 by 2025. This number was approximately 100,000 in 2013 and approximately 180,000 in 2019, and is showing a gradual increase.
As part of its reforms, the government is also investing in mental health support and implementing welfare programmes to help with employment. One programme, an employment programme for people who are unable to work or at risk of losing their jobs due to a disability, has shown to have increased employment rates by 11-12 percentage points. Irwin commented that 'the government's transformation programme is evidence-based and should be commended for recognising and setting out to tackle the long-standing problem of young people being NEET.'
Mr Irwin said: 'We still need to tackle the root causes of the high rates of NEET in the UK. Work placements must be better managed by all parts of government and better jobs need to be provided for young people who are disillusioned with the education system. Support needs to start earlier for young people who do not perform well in school as they have few education and employment options. We cannot ignore the need to increase employment opportunities for those most at risk of becoming NEET. Ideally, improved economic growth through investment will create new jobs and increase the quality and wages of those jobs.'
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