UK youth Neet total passes 1 million, a record in over a decade

Official UK statistics showed that the number of people aged 16 to 24 classed as Neet, meaning not in education, employment or training, rose above 1 million. The figures came from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK's national statistics agency, and were widely reported as the highest level in more than a decade.

The rise reflected a weaker market for young job seekers. Employers had cut back on entry-level hiring, partly because of higher labour costs, and many young people were reported to have stopped looking for work altogether rather than being counted as unemployed. Most of those classed as Neet were aged 18 to 24.

The milestone mattered politically. It put pressure on the government, which had promised a youth guarantee and reforms to skills and employment support. Business groups, charities and opposition parties argued over the causes, from employer costs to health problems and weak local job markets. Regional gaps were a recurring theme, with opportunities for young people scarcer in parts of the north, the Midlands and Wales than in the south of England.