But figures ‘mask lack of progress’ among economically inactive
The number of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (Neet) has fallen by 142,000 from a year ago to 954,000, according to the latest figures.
Data from the Office for National Statistics also showed that Neets had dropped by 12,000 in the third quarter of 2014 from the previous quarter (April to June).
The percentage of all 16 to 24 year olds classed as Neet was 13.1 per cent in the three months to September, down 0.1 percentage points from April to June 2014 and down 1.9 percentage points from a year earlier.
Almost half (47 per cent) of Neets were looking for work and available for work and therefore classified as unemployed, while the remaining 53 per cent were either not looking for work and/or not available for work and were therefore classified as economically inactive.
Ian Brinkley, chief economist at Lancaster University’s Work Foundation, said that while the drop in Neets was positive, the figures masked a lack of progress for young people who had dropped out of the labour market.
“It is good news that the overall number of young people who are Neet are falling. However, this reflects progress among those young people who were already actively looking for work and are likely to be the most employable,” said Brinkley.
“There has been no progress among the 500,000 under 25s who are 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 that “much more needs to be done” to help this group back into the labour market and to prevent young people who leave school falling into this category.
Brinkley said that building on existing commitments to increase the number and quality of apprenticeships, and improving the school-to-work transition, “must be a priority for this and the next government”.
Also commenting on the figures, Victoria Short, managing director of Randstad Student Support, warned against viewing the data through “rose tinted glasses”, and echoed Brinkley’s call to focus on equality of opportunity.
“The success felt by young people improving their future can only be a national success if everyone has the same chance to develop their own skills, interests and passions.
“Unfortunately, planned cuts to Disabled Students Allowance will soon put equality of opportunity at risk.
“If the government can’t prioritise sufficient support for disabled people in higher education, those students are going to face a fundamentally different decision to others. When looking for where to study, most people choose the best place for them to succeed in their course – but disabled students will be limited to universities which have the funding and facilities to help them. That could filter out young disabled people from the diverse employment opportunities enjoyed by their peers, and do little to help either improve the Neet statistics, or save the government money.”