The number of young people not in education, employment or training has fallen in recent months after going over one million earlier this year, official figures have shown.
There were an estimated 981,000 so-called Neets, aged 16 to 24, in April to June, a fall of 30,000 compared to the first quarter of the year. The figure is still 30,000 higher than a year ago, the Office for National Statistics said.
Youth employment challenge remains
The total had gone over one million earlier this year for the first time in more than a decade, fuelling calls for more help to get young people into work.
Chris Goulden, deputy chief executive of the Youth Futures Foundation, said: “This is a stark reminder that, despite small fluctuations in the data, the youth employment challenge remains a large, long-term problem.
“Hundreds of thousands of young people are continuing to miss out on the opportunity to earn, learn and build a secure future, leaving long-term scarring effects on their wellbeing, health and earning prospects.
“Behind the statistics are young people facing real and often complex barriers to entering and staying in education, training and employment.”
Charities and analysts respond
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said: “Today’s welcome figures are a reminder that young people are not work-shy, but it is too often the systems around them that are failing to meet their ambitions.
“Around a million young people remain locked out of education, employment or training, and youth unemployment is still at its highest in more than a decade.
“Only around one in four adults with a learning disability has a paid job, despite the vast majority telling us they want to work. The issues – inaccessible recruitment, a postcode lottery of employment support, and employers lacking confidence – are as high as they were yesterday.”
Sam Tims, lead analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “Nearly a million young people not earning or learning is the result of an economy that leaves young people behind, creates too few opportunities, and particularly fails those growing up in poverty.
“It speaks to a lack of support for young people to move forward with their lives.
“Not only does growing up in persistent poverty more than triple the risk of being out of work or learning, inadequate income also prevents people from being able to move back into learning or earning.”
He added that a forthcoming review by former government minister Alan Milburn on youth unemployment must be a “turning point” for the support offered to young people.
Calls for action
Mr Milburn said: “Nearly one million young lives on hold is a scar on this country.
“Young people are desperate for an opportunity to learn or earn. Instead, we’re creating a lost generation. They want to work – they just need a chance.
“My review will set out how that can be achieved so that young people get their futures back.”
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “The prime minister has rightly made getting more young people into work a priority – from strengthening vocational education to delivering greater access to work placements and training.
“But almost one million young people stuck out of work is a crisis which has been a decade in the making, and will take time to turn around.
“The evidence is crystal clear – good quality employment support, more good training places and a strong growing economy with more vacancies is what we need. Holding down workers’ rights will only hold back young people’s employment prospects.”
