Nearly One Million Young People in the UK Are NEET

ONS figures show 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training in April to June 2026 — 30,000 more than a year earlier, though 30,000 fewer than the previous quarter.

Almost one million young people across the UK were not in education, employment or training in April to June 2026, the Office for National Statistics has reported. The figures show 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were NEET during that period — equivalent to 13.0 per cent of the entire 16 to 24 age group. Compared with April to June 2025, when the total stood at around 951,000 and the rate was 12.8 per cent, that represents a year-on-year rise of 30,000 young people and a 0.2 percentage point increase in the rate.

The quarter-on-quarter picture is more encouraging. NEET numbers fell by 30,000 from January to March 2026, when around 1,012,000 young people — a rate of 13.5 per cent — were classified as NEET. So the April to June 2026 total sits below one million for the first time in two quarters, though critics have described the broader situation as an ongoing “NEET crisis”, pointing to the fact that the year-on-year trend is still moving in the wrong direction.

For Kent households, the picture carries a local edge. Kent County Council’s own unemployment bulletin puts youth unemployment among 18 to 24-year-olds in the county at 5.9 per cent, higher than the national rate of 5.4 per cent. Thanet stands out as the district with the highest youth unemployment rate in Kent — a reflection of the coastal area’s more limited local labour market. These figures cover claimants and unemployment rather than full NEET status and can’t be directly equated to the ONS NEET measure, which is broader: it includes young people who are economically inactive — those with health conditions, caring responsibilities, or who have stopped looking for work — as well as those actively seeking a job.

Kent is part of the South East region, which government labour market data show had the lowest NEET rate among English regions for the year ending July to September 2025. That context is worth holding on to — but it doesn’t mean the county is insulated. Social Mobility Commission data covering 2014 to 2024 show youth unemployment rates for 16 to 24-year-olds in Kent running into the mid-teens percentage range, above or around national averages for economically active young people in that age group.

The pressure lands on local services. Kent County Council employment and skills programmes, Jobcentre Plus offices, and further education colleges across the county are all tasked with reducing NEET numbers — demand that these national figures suggest remains high. Youth organisations have pointed to the cost of living, transport costs, and limited opportunities in coastal and rural areas as barriers that make it harder for young people in places like Thanet to move off NEET status.

A specific NEET headcount for Kent alone in April to June 2026 has not been independently verified from national bulletins, so any local figure should be treated with caution until ONS sub-regional data are published.