London, United Kingdom. Nearly 1 million Britons aged 16-24 were not in employment, education or training at the end of last year, according to official data. The latest figures put the total at 957,000 in the last quarter of 2025.
NEET levels and rates
The number of people aged 16-24 who were not in employment, education or training (NEET) rose to 957,000 in the last quarter of 2025 from 946,000 the previous quarter. The figure was just below 971,000 in the final quarter of 2024, the highest level since 2014.
The NEET rate was 12.8%, up from 12.7% in the previous quarter, but below a 10-year high of 13.2% a year earlier. This compared with an unemployment rate of 16.1% for 16-64 year olds.
The NEET measure is sometimes seen as a better guide to labour market difficulties than the headline youth unemployment rate, which was the highest in 10 years in the last quarter of 2025.
Policy debate and economists’ views
Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill told a parliament committee earlier this week that rises in the minimum wage and employer social security charges had contributed to difficulties young people face in getting a foothold in the job market.
In a poll by Britain’s National Institute of Economic and Social Research and the London School of Economics’ Centre for Macroeconomics, 15 of 19 academic economists judged government policy to be a “very” or “moderately important” driver of youth unemployment.
LSE economics professor Ricardo Reis said government policy changes were “the most likely proximate cause for such large movements in young joblessness,” while adding there was not conclusive evidence. Others cited broader economic weakness and artificial intelligence as factors.
Resolution Foundation recommendations
Louise Murphy, a senior economist at the Resolution Foundation think tank, said finance minister Rachel Reeves should use a fiscal statement next week to widen eligibility for work placements and to pause plans to narrow the gap between minimum wage rates for 18-20 year olds and older workers.
How do you think changes to minimum wage and employer social security charges affect young people trying to enter the job market?