17/06/2026
Recent news reports on the 2026 Milburn Review may have brought the acronym NEET to your attention i.e. Not in Education, Employment or Training. Click on the link below to access the full document.
The final report, expected later in 2026, will provide a blueprint for reform, detailing responsibilities, funding, accountability, and strategies to reach young people currently failed by the system. Here's hoping the vital work/engagement in communities is recognised and funded.
The report highlights a growing crisis in youth employment, warning that nearly one million young people in the UK are currently NEET, with numbers projected to rise without urgent systemic reform.
Myths Challenged: The report disputes stereotypes that young people are unwilling to work, emphasizing that structural barriers, not personal failings, are the primary cause.
Desire to Work: Despite high NEET rates, 84% of young people want a job or training, highlighting a mismatch between opportunities and access
Social and Economic Drivers: NEET status is strongly linked to poverty, social disadvantage, and weak local labour markets. Young people from low-income areas are 35% more likely to be NEET than those from affluent regions
The UK has three times the NEET rate of the Netherlands and twice that of Ireland, indicating systemic underperformance relative to similar economies.
The young people and work report is an independent review of the increase in the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
