A youth unemployment crisis has been exacerbated by soaring immigration, according to new figures. Employers hired 27 young workers from outside the EU for every British under-25 taken on between January 2020 and December 2025.
Data from HMRC shows the number of non-EU or UK nationals under 25 in employment rose by 289,400 to 370,900, while Britons in the same age bracket increased by just 10,800 to 3,852,300. Meanwhile, the number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment, or training (NEET) rose by over 150,000 to 957,000, with forecasts suggesting it could reach 1.25 million within five years.
The analysis by the Centre for Social Justice found that 'starter roles' typically taken by young people have been vanishing, with migrants employed instead. The think-tank called for better training, mental health support, and an end to the school culture that pushes all students towards university regardless of job prospects.
Founder Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: 'It's time to be bold or we risk losing an entire generation.' A separate review by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions, warned that entry-level jobs have sharply declined, with hospitality vacancies halving in four years and Saturday jobs almost vanishing. Apprenticeships among young people have fallen 35% in a decade.
Milburn's report found that 84% of NEETs want a job or training, but schools, the health system, and benefits system are 'exacerbating inactivity'. He said: 'Six in 10 have never had a job. Twenty years ago, it was closer to four in 10. Detachment is no longer temporary. For too many young people it is becoming permanent. We are at risk of a lost generation.'
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: 'I commissioned this report because we cannot afford to lose a generation of young people... I will work across government and with employers, charities and young people to drive real change.'
