Fears youth unemployment will rise further as figures hit five-year high

24 February 2011 1 min read Joe Lepper Education 16-19 learning Careers Guidance

The number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) during the last three months of 2010 reached its highest level for the final quarter of a year since 2005.

During the final quarter of last year, 938,000 16- to 24-year-olds were classified as Neet, compared with 895,000 during the final three months of 2009.

There was a dip in the number of 16- to 18-year-olds classified as Neet between the final three months of 2009 and 2010 from 177,000 to 162,000. But those aged between 19 and 24 are still struggling to find work or a suitable course. In the final quarter of 2009 there were 718,000 young people in this age group classified as Neet. By the same period last year this figure had jumped to 777,000.

The think tank Demos anticipates the Neet figures will rise further over the coming months, claiming that "inadequate" Level 1 and 2 NVQ courses are leaving young people poorly equipped to find work.

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