Proportion of NEET young people falls
20 November 2014
The proportion of young people who were not in education employment or training (NEET) fell by 12,000 from April to June this year, down 142,000 from a year earlier, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
Thu, 20 Nov 2014The proportion of young people who were not in education employment or training (NEET) fell by 12,000 from April to June this year, down 142,000 from a year earlier, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The number of NEET young people aged between 16 and 24 stood at 954,000 (13.1%). This represents a fall of 0.1 percentage points from April to June 2014 and down 1.9 percentage points from a year earlier.
Just under half (47%) of all young people in the UK who were NEET were looking for work and available for work, and therefore classified as unemployed. The remainder were either not looking for work and/or not available for work and therefore classified as economically inactive.
In a press statement, Ann Pickering, HR director at O2, said: “While we should be encouraged that more of our young people are now in work, training or education, the truth is that the number of ‘NEETs’ is still far too high.”
She went on to say that at a time when the digital economy is underpinning the UK recovery, “significantly more young people” should be getting on the career ladder.
“After all, having grown up with the internet, they’re the ones with the valuable digital skills that UK businesses are crying out for,” she added.
Pickering urged businesses to work with government to create work opportunities for young people through apprenticeships, graduate schemes and longer-term employment.
In a press statement Ian Brinkley, chief economist at Lancaster University’s Work Foundation, said although it was good news that the overall number of NEET young people was falling, “this reflects progress among those young people who were already actively looking for work and are likely to be the most employable”.
He claimed there was no progress among the 500,000 under 25s who were classified as economically inactive and have dropped out of the labour market. “This group will include some of the most disadvantaged and those in greatest danger of sustaining lasting damage to their future employment prospects,” he said.
“Much more needs to be done to help these individuals back into the labour market and to stop young people leaving school ending up in this category.”
The number of NEET young people aged between 16 and 24 stood at 954,000 (13.1%). This represents a fall of 0.1 percentage points from April to June 2014 and down 1.9 percentage points from a year earlier.
Just under half (47%) of all young people in the UK who were NEET were looking for work and available for work, and therefore classified as unemployed. The remainder were either not looking for work and/or not available for work and therefore classified as economically inactive.
In a press statement, Ann Pickering, HR director at O2, said: “While we should be encouraged that more of our young people are now in work, training or education, the truth is that the number of ‘NEETs’ is still far too high.”
She went on to say that at a time when the digital economy is underpinning the UK recovery, “significantly more young people” should be getting on the career ladder.
“After all, having grown up with the internet, they’re the ones with the valuable digital skills that UK businesses are crying out for,” she added.
Pickering urged businesses to work with government to create work opportunities for young people through apprenticeships, graduate schemes and longer-term employment.
In a press statement Ian Brinkley, chief economist at Lancaster University’s Work Foundation, said although it was good news that the overall number of NEET young people was falling, “this reflects progress among those young people who were already actively looking for work and are likely to be the most employable”.
He claimed there was no progress among the 500,000 under 25s who were classified as economically inactive and have dropped out of the labour market. “This group will include some of the most disadvantaged and those in greatest danger of sustaining lasting damage to their future employment prospects,” he said.
“Much more needs to be done to help these individuals back into the labour market and to stop young people leaving school ending up in this category.”
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