One in six 18-24-year-olds are 'Neets'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Over one in six 18-to-24-year-olds are not in school, college or work, official figures showed today.
In total, 837,000 youngsters in this age group (17.6%) were classed as so-called "Neets" - not in employment, education or training - in the first quarter of this year, up from 825,000 for the same period last year.
The Government statistics reveal that almost a million 16-24-year-olds are Neet.
Some 927,000 fell into the category in the first quarter of this year - up from 895,000 in the final quarter of last year. Compared to the first quarter of 2009, the number of Neets has fallen by 6,000.
The numbers of 16-24-year-old Neets hit a record high in the third quarter of last year when they topped a million for the first time.
The figures also reveal that the proportion of 16-18-year-olds that are Neet has fallen slightly to 195,000 from 222,000 in the first quarter of 2009. This still means that one in ten (10.1%) youngsters of this age fall into the Neet category.
Young people are still facing heavy pressure on jobs and education due to the recession and a squeeze on university places.
Youth unemployment among 18-24-year-olds hit 734,000 during the first three months of this year, up 9,000 on the previous quarter.
And with a record 570,000 people applying to start degree courses in the autumn by the end of January alone, hundreds of thousands of would-be students are at risk of missing out on a place.
A spokesman for The Prince's Trust said: "Too many young people are still facing the devastating aftermath of the recession. One in six 18-to-24-year-olds are now not in employment, education or training, which is a huge waste of talent and potential at a time when Britain needs both.
"All too often unemployed young people face a downward spiral towards a loss of self-confidence, or even crime, homelessness and drug-use. If we fail to help them into work, all of us will feel the impact."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments