Rise in young people not in education, employment or training

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were an estimated 771,000 young people (aged 16 to 24 years) in the UK who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in January to March 2020; this was an increase of 6,000 compared with January to March 2019 and was up by 8,000 compared with October to December 2019.

The percentage of all young people in the UK who were NEET in January to March 2020 was estimated at 11.2%; the proportion was up by 0.2 percentage points compared with January to March 2019 and up by 0.1 percentage points compared with October to December 2019.

Of all young people in the UK who were NEET in January to March 2020, an estimated 41.6% were looking and available for work and therefore classified as unemployed; the remainder were either not looking for work and/or not available for work and were classified as economically inactive.

Responding to the new ONS figures, Cllr Kevin Bentley, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s People and Places Board, said: “While the real impact of the COVID-19 crisis on young people is not yet visible, it is concerning that the number of young people not in education, employment or training has increased in the past year, many of whom will have been unable to receive face-to-face advice, guidance and support during this pandemic.

“Councils and combined authorities are already working closely with employers, colleges and many others involved in education and job-training to make sure that nobody is left behind after we get through this crisis, as they are ideally placed to bring employment and skills initiatives together.

“As part of the national recovery effort, it is vital that young people have the opportunities to increase their skills and retrain. This means providing the right careers advice and guidance, and holistic support needed for every young person.

“Local government is best placed to lead on this, and we look forward to working with government and local and national partners to plan this.

“Devolving careers advice, post-16 and skills budgets and powers to local areas, would allow councils, schools, colleges and employers to work together to improve provision for young people so that they can get on in life.”