Nearly One Million Young People Remain Outside Work or Education Creating Opportunity Must Remain a Priority
Nearly one million young people across the UK remain outside education, employment or training, reinforcing the scale of the challenge facing those trying to take their first steps towards a career.
The latest Office for National Statistics figures estimate that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training (NEET) between April and June 2026. This represents 13% of all young people within that age group. While the number fell by 30,000 compared with the previous quarter, it remained 30,000 higher than during the same period in 2025.
The figures have prompted renewed concern about the opportunities available to young people, with the situation described as a serious national challenge. But behind a number approaching one million are hundreds of thousands of individual circumstances, ambitions and abilities. Addressing the issue requires more than focusing on the headline figure alone.
A significant proportion of young people classified as NEET are actively looking for employment. The ONS estimates that 393,000 were unemployed, meaning they were seeking work and available to start. Another 588,000 were economically inactive.
This distinction matters because many young people outside employment have not given up on the idea of working. For some, the challenge is finding an accessible route into it.
The transition into employment can be particularly difficult when somebody has limited workplace experience. Young people can find themselves applying for entry-level positions while competing against applicants who already have employment histories, creating a familiar problem: they need experience to secure a job but need somebody to give them a job before they can gain experience.
Creating more genuine entry points into the workforce can help break that cycle. Apprenticeships, work placements, vocational training and entry-level positions can give young people an opportunity to demonstrate their ability while developing practical skills in a working environment.
Employers can also make a difference by recognising potential alongside previous experience. Qualifications and employment history provide useful information, but they cannot always demonstrate somebody’s attitude, creativity, communication skills or willingness to learn. Recruitment that gives young people an opportunity to show those qualities can open doors for candidates who might otherwise be overlooked.
Confidence is another important part of the transition into employment. Spending months applying for jobs without success can gradually affect how somebody views their own abilities. Employability support that combines practical skills with interview preparation, communication, mentoring and confidence building can help young people become better prepared for opportunities when they arrive.
Education and training remain equally important. The ONS considers apprenticeships, government-supported training programmes, qualification-based learning and recent job-related training as forms of education or training within its NEET measures. Strengthening these pathways can give young people alternatives when a traditional academic route or immediate employment is not right for them.
Employer partnerships can bring these different areas together. When businesses work directly with schools, colleges, training providers and community organisations, young people can gain a clearer understanding of careers while employers can connect with potential talent earlier. These partnerships can help ensure that the skills being developed reflect genuine workforce needs.
The challenge is also about preventing short periods outside work or education from becoming much longer ones. Early careers guidance, accessible training and personalised employment support can help somebody identify their next step before uncertainty becomes long-term disengagement.
The latest numbers should be interpreted carefully. The ONS warns that NEET estimates can experience greater statistical volatility because they relate to a smaller population group, and it recommends focusing on longer-term movements rather than drawing conclusions from individual quarterly changes. Even with that caution, the wider message remains clear: hundreds of thousands of young people need stronger routes towards opportunity.
At I’M MORE, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to build a future defined by potential rather than circumstance.
Reducing youth unemployment is not simply about moving a number on a spreadsheet. It means helping somebody gain their first experience of work, discover a career they did not know existed, develop new skills or rebuild the confidence needed to move forward.
Almost one million young people represent almost one million different stories. The solution will therefore require different pathways, stronger employer partnerships, apprenticeships, employability support, education, community support and businesses prepared to invest in the next generation of the workforce.
Our mission is to help young people Discover, Believe and Become.
Creating more opportunities will not transform the figures overnight, but every young person who moves into education, training or meaningful employment represents progress and potentially the beginning of an entirely different future.
