Disastrous NEETs milestone shows why radical reset of support for young people is needed, rather than piecemeal reform

The number of 16-24 year olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) surpassed one million for the first time in over a decade, and now only one EU country (Romania) has a higher NEET rate than the UK. NEET rates could continue rising in the years ahead without a radical reset of support for young people, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the latest ONS and Eurostat data.

The ONS data, published on the same morning of the Interim Report of the Milburn Review into helping NEETs, showed that the number of young people in this situation rose to 1,012,000 in January to March 2026.

Separate Eurostat data, also published today, shows that this rising NEET rate has left the UK with only one EU country out of 27 (Romania) with a higher NEET rate than the UK.

Recent Resolution Foundation research found highlighted four key drivers of the UK’s high NEETs rate: rising ill-health; weak vocational education; a hands-off benefits system; and a weak labour market. Action on all four fronts is needed to get young people’s futures back on track, the Foundation says.

Nye Cominetti, Principal Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said:

“The UK has hit a disastrous milestone of having over a million young people out of employment, education or training.

“While the recent rise has been driven by a weaker labour market and a rise in poor mental health, the UK’s NEETs crisis has been decades in the making. As a result, only one EU country – Romania – has a higher NEET rate than the UK.

“The UK’s poor performance relative to other countries is mainly down to a lack of education, rather than employment, and particularly poor non-university routes into work.

“This is all points to the radical reset advocated by Alan Milburn, rather than yet more piecemeal reform. This will require tough trade-offs over where to prioritise funding, as well as asking more from both employers and our welfare system.”