Nearly One Million Young People Out of Work and Education as Minister Criticises Benefits System

The ONS estimates that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 are not in employment, education or training as the Government expands its Jobs Guarantee programme. (Credit: Christian Erfurt/Unsplash)

Nearly one million young people across the UK are neither earning nor learning, despite a modest quarterly fall in the number outside employment, education or training.

The Office for National Statistics estimated that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training, commonly described as NEET, between April and June 2026.