Inquiry launched as nearly one million young people out of work and education

The government is launching an independent review into the growing number of young people out of work and education across the UK.

Nearly one million people – one in eight– aged between 16 and 24 are currently not in work or education, with the numbers set to increase in the coming weeks, according to work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden.

The inquiry into the rising numbers will be led by former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn and will publish its findings in the summer of 2026.

open image in gallery

“The rising number of young people who are not in education, employment or training is a crisis of opportunity that demands more action to give them the chance to learn or earn,” Mr McFadden told The Times.

“We cannot afford to lose a generation of young people to a life on benefits, with no work prospects and not enough hope.”

The government reported 948,000 young people not in work, education or training (labelled Neet) as of June 2025.

The figure is set to exceed one million over the next couple of months, Mr McFadden said. It marks the highest numbers for the group in more than a decade.

A quarter of young people out of work and education cite long-term sickness or disability as an obstacle. This compares drastically to the figure of 12 per cent in 2013-2014.

The Department for Work and Pensions reports that the number of young people claiming universal credit health and employment support allowance has jumped by more than 50 per cent in the past five years.

open image in gallery

Around 80 per cent of young people claiming the universal credit health element claim the benefit for mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition.

Mr McFadden avoided blaming over-diagnosis of mental health conditions affecting young people, saying he did not want to play “amateur doctor”.

“I want to approach this with sensitivity,” he said. “The question I’m asking is, given the higher reported number of these conditions among young people, what is the best policy response?

“I don’t believe there should be an automatic link between diagnosis and benefits. I think at that point we should ask a different question, which is, if you’ve had a diagnosis, what can we do to help you?”

He suggested that a change in approach could help young people in disenfranchised communities, impacted by inequalities where the numbers of Neet are significantly higher.

“There is a lot of anger and frustration out there right now, and there are plenty of politicians who will go around and find something that makes people angry and pour petrol on it,” he said.

“Work is the best antidote to many of the conditions that we’re seeing.”