Highest fourth quarter figure for NEET young people since records began |

Thursday 23rd February 2012 | 14:26

Highest fourth quarter figure for NEET young people since records began

Responding to today’s figures for the number of young people Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET), IPPR analysis shows the that 2011 was the worst year since records began in 2000.

IPPR analysis shows: • Now a total of 958,000 young people (16-24) NEET, up 19,000 over the last year and a record high of 15.9 per cent for a fourth quarter. • The average level during 2011 was over one million for the first ever time. • Big rise in number of NEETs aged 16-18, up 16,000 (9.9 per cent) over the last year. • Biggest annual percentage increase in number of NEETs aged 16-17 in a fourth quarter since records began, up 16.4 per cent over the last year.

The worse rises are in the: • East Midlands up 26 per cent (17,000 young people) • North West - up 18,000 (a rise of 13 per cent) • Yorkshire & Humberside up 17,000 (a rise of 15 per cent)

Tony Dolphin, IPPR Chief Economist, said:

“At the start of this week, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced plans to help 55,000 NEETs aged 16-17 years old with a new £126m scheme. It’s a welcome move but in the context of the numbers of young people not in work or training, it looks like a drop in the ocean.

“Last Autumn, the Government announced plans for a new ‘Youth Contact’ including 160,000 job subsidies and an extra 20,000 apprenticeships. It was another welcome measure but it is still a policy yet to be implemented. Assuming there is no slippage, the Youth Contract will come on stream in April, more than a year after the abolition of the ‘Future Jobs Fund’ and the Education Maintenance Allowance.

“Today’s NEET figures show just how many young people have struggled to find work or access training during that period of policy vacuum.”