Nearly 1 million young people aged 16–24 – almost one in seven – are now classified as “Neet” (not in employment, education or training), according to the Office for National Statistics. The rate has risen steadily since 2022, and growth is concentrated among young men.
It’s a particularly difficult time for young people to be establishing their working lives: with their education disrupted by the pandemic, and in the midst of a cost of living crisis preceded by over a decade of wage stagnation.
