Over 940,000 young people in the UK are now not in education, employment, or training (‘NEET’), according to new figures from the November 2025 Labour Force Survey.

That equates to one in eight 16- to 24-year-olds who are not learning or earning. The number has been steadily increasing since mid-2021, after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted education and weakened entry-level job opportunities.

Hughes George, press officer at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), said young people “were disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the broad-based reduction in demand for workers, including strong falls in many sectors that employ younger people, such as hospitality and retail.”

The latest data show that more young men are NEET than women, following the trend seen in recent years. In July to September 2025, there were 13.4% of men NEET, compared to 11.9% of women. The number of unemployed and economically inactive men has been rising mainly due to an increase in long-term health conditions and disability for men.

As DWP said, women are more likely to be NEET because of caring responsibilities, yet the proportion of women out of work or education for this reason has fallen sharply over the past 25 years. “This has reduced inactivity growth compared to men,” DWP noted.

Prolonged periods outside education and work can have a negative impact on young people, worsening their health, well-being and future opportunities. A report by Public Health England and the UCL Institute of Health Equity warns that long-term unemployment “makes the chances of being employed in a good career later on in life significantly less likely.”

In response to rising youth inactivity, the government has launched an investigation led by the former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Alan Milburn, with findings due to be published in summer 2026. 

In December, the government also announced plans to invest more than £1.5 billion over the next three years to support young people to earn or learn. The package is said to include job guarantees for those who have been unemployed long term, funding apprenticeships and training programmes and expanding Youth Hubs to provide additional support.