Responding to the latest NEET data released by ONS on 21 August 2025

Date:

21 08 2025

Authors:

Elizabeth Gerard

Tagged by:

Young people Employment & social security

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Responding to the latest ONS figures on young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training), Elizabeth Gerard, deputy director at Learning and Work Institute, said:
The latest release by the Office for National Statistics shows yet another increase in the number of young people who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the UK to 948,000, 12.8% of the population aged 16-24. This continued rise is especially concerning on results day, when many young people are receiving their GCSE and Level 1 and 2 vocational qualifications results. At a time when young people are thinking about their next steps, too many are at risk of being left behind, with long-term consequences for their futures. While the Government has made a commitment to address youth participation in employment through the Youth Guarantee and Trailblazers, more is needed. We’re calling on the Government to be ambitious in its offer for young people: to reduce the NEET rate to 10% and ensure no young person who is able to engage with work or training is NEET for more than a year. This means providing tailored support for all 16-24 year olds, delivered through accessible, joined-up services in communities across the country.
These numbers also mask substantial inequalities within construction. Women account for only 10 per cent of starts in construction apprenticeships so far this year, compared to 51 per cent of apprenticeships overall. In addition, this year only 9 per cent of construction starts are by individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds, with particularly big disparities for apprentices from black or Asian backgrounds. The following years therefore present a unique opportunity to not only further boost apprenticeship numbers in the construction sector, but to expand their reach to wider groups. The new Government should work with employers and providers to seize this.

Read our latest report on young people not in education, employment or training

This report finds that three in five young people who are neither learning nor working have never had a paid job and looks at the differences in opportunity between different areas of England.
Find out more

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