What can the Dutch teach the UK about how to tackle the youth jobs crisis?

More than 1 million people aged 16 to 24 in Britain are not in education, employment, or training, with 13.5% of young people affected and 15.8% among those aged 18 to 24. The Netherlands has kept its equivalent rate below 5% for more than a decade, with Eurostat reporting 5.3% for the Dutch rate. A comparison indicates that if Britain matched the Dutch rate, 600,000 more 18- to 24-year-olds would be learning or earning. The Dutch approach relies on vocational education, a welfare safety net focused on engagement and rehabilitation, and financial incentives for businesses to hire young workers. Educational retention is higher in the Netherlands, and technical education is valued.

"The Dutch approach revolves around three pillars: vocational education; a welfare safety net prioritising engagement and rehabilitation; and financial incentives that make it worthwhile for businesses to hire young workers. Educational retention is critical, researchers say. In the UK in 2024, 43% of 18- to 24-year-olds were in education, compared with 67% in the Netherlands. Among 18 year olds, the figures are 66% and 80%. By age 24, twice as many young people are in education in the Netherlands (43%) as in the UK (21%)."

"According to official UK statistics, roughly 13.5% of young people are not in work or college. Among 18- to 24-year-olds the share rises to 15.8% nearly one in six. In the Netherlands, the equivalent figure has been below 5% for well over a decade. According to Eurostat, whose wider 1529 age bracket produces a higher figure, the Dutch Neet rate was 5.3% last year."

"The Resolution Foundation concluded in a recent report that if Britain could match the Dutch Neet rate, 600,000 more 18- to 24-year-olds would be learning or earning today. Alan Milburn, the former Labour cabinet minister who authored the review, said Britain might not be able to copy directly from the Netherlands because traditions, cultures and structures were different. But boy oh boy is there something to learn, he added."

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