Unemployment: Young People
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment he has made of the primary drivers behind the 91,030 increase in 16 to 24-year-olds classified as NEET between April to June 2024 and January to March 2026; and what cross-departmental strategy is in place to reduce this figure.
Answered by Department for Work and Pensions
Under the previous government, the number of young people not in education or training, rose by around 250,000 between 2021 and 2024 (i.e. the number of young people who were NEET rose by over a third).
With just under one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.
This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobs Centres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.
The number of NEETs fell by 30,000 from April to June 2026, and currently stands at 981,000. We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.
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