What does Neet stand for and why does the UK have so many?

There were 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 not in employment, education or training between April and June, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Figures published earlier in the year showed the number had previously topped one million, as an independent review warned of "a lost generation" of young people, unless urgent action is taken to support them.

A young person is considered Neet if they are not in education, employment or training.

To be considered Neet, a person must be aged 16 to 24 and:

• unemployed - looking for work
• economically inactive - not actively looking for work and not waiting to start a job, or caring for family
• not in formal education, such as school or university, or on a vocational course
• not participating in any training schemes, such as apprenticeships or internships

There were 981,000 Neets between April and June, the ONS says, an increase of about 3% on the same period in 2025.

The numbers are published every three months and vary throughout the year, but have been steadily increasing over time.

The latest figures account for 13% - over one in eight - of all young people in the UK.

There were more Neets classed as not looking or available for work than there were hunting for jobs.

The number of economically inactive young people was 588,000. This group includes 310,000 women and 278,000 men.

The ONS estimates that 393,000 16- to 24-year-olds were unemployed and looking for work. There were more unemployed young men than young women - 252,000 men compared with 141,000 women.

An estimated one in 10 young people who are Neet are graduates. However, those who have not achieved GCSE-level qualification are more likely to remain Neet for longer periods, according to the Youth Futures Foundation, an organisation which aims to ensure young people can find work.

It said those living in poverty, or with special educational needs, are also more likely to be Neet.

The ONS releases figures on the number of Neets in the UK every three months.

It produces its estimates from its Labour Force Survey. Fewer people have responded to the survey in recent years, which makes the results more volatile than in the past. The number of Neets tends to fluctuate throughout the year.

A major independent review of the reasons so many young people are not in education, work or training was released by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn in May. He was asked to look into the issue by the government.

Milburn challenged the idea that young people were not trying, or were "work-shy, snowflakes, soft".

A survey carried out for his interim report suggested that 84% of Neet young people do want a job or training.

He said rejections for young jobseekers, after submitting dozens, sometimes hundreds of applications, had become the norm.

The report said there is not one factor causing the crisis, with a "perfect storm" of the jobs market, spending on education and the Covid pandemic being some of the reasons highlighted.

It said the number of entry-level jobs has fallen by about 1.6 million over the past 20 years. Vacancies in hospitality, for example, have halved in the last four years alone. Apprenticeships and graduate jobs have also been affected.

Health issues are also a factor. The proportion of people who say they are Neet because of a work-limiting health condition has increased by 70% over the past decade, according to the Health Foundation charity.

The number of those citing a mental health condition has almost doubled to more than four in 10, according to the Youth Futures Foundation.

Milburn described the situation for young people with disabilities as "devastating". In 2024-2025, 29.6% of disabled young people were Neet, compared with 8.7% of their non-disabled peers, his report said.

The second part of Milburn's report, containing recommendations, will be unveiled later in 2026.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden welcomed Milburn's report and said the government was already taking action.

He said the government's job guarantee was supporting those "most in need", with the first young people who were supported by the scheme now in work.

"Our wider £2.5bn investment will help create almost a million opportunities to earn or learn," he said, adding that further reforms would follow the full Milburn review.

The government also announced a bursary of up to £4,500 for some families who would lose out on money if their children wanted to do an apprenticeship, because the child benefit they would lose out on would be worth more than the apprenticeship starter salary.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also promoted a new work experience scheme by Sainsbury's, with 10,000 places being rolled out from October 2026.

However, shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately criticised the government's policies, claiming Labour had "destroyed job opportunities for young people" through increased taxes, such as employer National Insurance contributions.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said her party "repeatedly warned that Labour's jobs tax would hammer job opportunities for young people and that their business rates hikes would kill off high street job opportunities".

In Wales, the Young Person's Guarantee was introduced in 2021 to help 16- to 24-year-olds choose the right course, find an apprenticeship, search for jobs or start a business.

In Scotland, the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) scheme was announced in the wake of the Covid pandemic to connect young people with appropriate opportunities such as apprenticeships, work experience or formal volunteering.

In Northern Ireland, there are a range of schemes aimed at helping Neets.

In his interim report, Milburn said the number of young people out of work, training or education in the UK is three times higher than in the Netherlands and twice as high as in Ireland.

A 2025 report from the Youth Futures Foundation said the Neet rate in the Netherlands has been steadily under 5% in the last decade.

It said the Netherlands has implemented significant reforms to support youth unemployment over the past two decades, including employment incentives like wage subsidies.

Interventions at national and regional levels include financial support, tailored career guidance, vocational training and structural reforms.

Career guidance in the Netherlands is mandatory in secondary school, and includes information on vocational education, the report said.