UK Neets Set to Hit 1.25m by 2030s Without Urgent Action

The Looming Crisis of Youth Unemployment

Britain risks a 25% rise in the number of young people not in work or education to 1.25 million by the early 2030s without urgent government action to avoid a “lost generation”, a landmark report has warned.

Milburn's Call for Urgent Action

Alan Milburn, the leader of the review into why so many young people are economically inactive, said the UK risked opening up a “generational fault line” between young and old without urgent steps to overhaul schools, the health service, the welfare system and the jobs market.

The Data Behind the Crisis

Experts have warned of a crisis in youth jobs, with official figures due on Thursday expected to show the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) is close to breaking through a million – the highest level for more than a decade.

• Number of Neets could rise to 1.25 million by the early 2030s
• One in six young people could be Neet within five years
• Britain has the third-highest rate of 16 to 24-year-olds who are not earning or learning among rich European countries

The Impact on the UK's Social Contract

Milburn will warn that without urgent action the number could continue rising from one in eight young people who are classified as Neet to one in six within five years – representing 1.25 million young lives.

He will say in his report that whoever leads the party into a general election against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK should make cutting youth unemployment a top priority, with a central mission to repair Britain’s increasingly broken social contract.

The Road Ahead

The government has faced fierce criticism from business groups who say Labour policy has fuelled the crisis in youth jobs.

However, the government has welcomed Milburn’s report and is taking action to support young people.