One in six young people will not be in work or training in five years without action, report warns

One in six young people could be outside education, employment, or training within five years unless urgent action is taken. Education, health and welfare systems are described as no longer fit for purpose in preparing young people for adult life. The number of 16 to 24-year-olds not working, studying, or training is projected to rise to 1.25 million by 2031. The first rung of the career ladder is said to have thinned, leaving many unable to access work experience. Employers often demand work experience while opportunities for young people to gain it have narrowed or disappeared. Unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds is 16.2%, the highest since 2014. Latest figures show 957,000 NEETs from October to December 2025, with more than half not looking for work. Government plans include early intervention such as special educational needs support and removing the two-child cap on benefits.

"One in six young people will not be in education, employment or training within five years unless "urgent" action is taken, a major review has warned. The education, health and welfare systems are "no longer fit for purpose" in preparing young people for adult life, said its author former minister Alan Milburn. "We are at risk of a lost generation," he warned, with the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work, education or training set to rise to 1.25 million by 2031."

""The first rung of the career ladder has thinned" and that for "too many young people it is now simply out of reach", Milburn is set to say in a speech later. "That places them in a hopeless catch-22 where employers ask for work experience but the opportunities for young people to gain it have narrowed or gone," he will say."

"Latest figures show the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds is 16.2%, the highest since 2014, and more than three times the broader unemployment rate of 5%. Milburn was tasked with investigating why so many young people are not in employment, education or training - known by the acronym Neets. According to the latest official UK figures, there were 957,000 young people classed as Neet from October to December 2025, equivalent to one in eight people in that age category. More than half of those were deemed to be not looking for work."

"Milburn warned that number could rise to 1.25 million, or one in six young people, in the next five years unless action was taken. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said he commissioned the report to save a generation of young people from unemployment, welcoming its findings. McFadden also said the government is focusing on "early intervention" measures such as special educational needs support and the removal of the two-child cap on benefits."

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