London leads reduction in number of Neet under-18s

Statistics from local authorities in England on the proportion of 16- to 18-year-old Neets, show falls in every region between 2012 and 2013.

Overall the data shows the number of Neets down from 100,930 in 2012 to 93,030 in 2013, a fall of 9 per cent.

By far the biggest fall came in London, where there was a 19 per cent drop. In the South West the decline was five per cent.

Meanwhile there was a seven per cent fall in the South East and nine per cent drops in the North East and East of England.

The highest fall outside of the capital was in the North West, where the Neet population fell by 12 per cent.

London also has the lowest proportion of young people who were Neet in 2013 – 3.8 per cent, compared with 7.6 per cent in the North East, 5.6 per cent in the North West, 5.7 per cent in Yorkshire and Humberside and six per cent in the West Midlands.

The figures come just days after an economic forecast by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) suggest London is disproportionately benefitting from economic recovery.

The CEBR says London’s economy will expand by 4.2 per cent in 2014 and by 15 per cent over the next five years, while the North East of England will see its economy expand by just 2.1 per cent this year and only 1.7 per cent in 2015.

Rhian Johns, director of policy and campaigns at Impetus – The Private Equity Foundation, said: “There are huge disparities in youth unemployment levels between cities.  

“Young people with low or no qualifications have a particularly tough time finding work, especially in less economically successful areas.  

“The challenge for us as a country is to both have national government’s leadership in setting the policy framework that ensures every young person leaves education with the qualifications, skills and experiences required for the transition from education into employment, and local area solutions that take into account the particular challenges those geographic areas face.”

Lottie Dexter, director of the campaign group Million Jobs, added: “We must not underestimate the importance of the economic recovery in causing a 19 per cent reduction in Neets in London.”

She says other factors in the drop in the Neet population include a rise in young people doing apprenticeships and, to a lesser extent, the raising of the school participation age last year.

Skills and enterprise minister Matthew Hancock also cited take-up of apprenticeships as a factor. He said: “This shows that introducing rigour and reform into education and training is giving young people the skills they need to enter the world of work or further education.”

The council area with the highest proportion of Neet 16- to 18-year-olds during 2013 was Newcastle, where 9.8 per cent of the age group were Neet, the same proportion as the previous year.

In contrast, two other North East areas Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland, which had the joint highest proportion of Neet young people in 2012, have seen falls above the regional rate of decline.

In Redcar & Cleveland the proportion during 2013 was 7.7 per cent, compared with 10.5 per cent in 2012.

Commenting on the regional figures, a Prince’s Trust spokesman said: “There is a long way to go to realise the vision that every young person in this age group should be participating in education or training.

“In order to achieve this aim, there needs to be a sustained focus on engaging those young people who are furthest away from the job market and who may have struggled in school."

A Newcastle City Council spokesman said the figures reflect the “significant challenges” facing young people in the region and require careful interpretation because they include young people who are taking part in re-engagement programmes to prevent them becoming Neet.

“Despite the stark statistics, our local Neet cohort (aged 16-17) has reduced in size by approximately one third over the last three years,” the spokesman said.

"We take our responsibility to support young people very seriously and we are confident that the programmes and opportunities that have been created (including apprenticeships) will result in a reduction in the next round of figures."