Proportion of NEET young men hits seven-year high

The proportion of men aged between 16 and 24 who were NEET in 2020 was 13.3 per cent.

This compares sharply to 2019’s rate of 11.3 per cent and 2015’s level of 10.5 per cent, which had been the lowest rate since 2003.

• Blog: Essential skills training needed to close youth jobs gap

• Budget 2021: Training providers praise jobs boost for under-25s

The previous high was in 2013, when the NEET rate among young men was 13.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, the proportion of women of the same age listed as NEET has fallen from 11.2 per cent in 2019 to 9.7 per cent. This is the lowest figure recorded over the last 20 years.

The data has been revealed in the government’s NEET annual brief, which takes into account the impact of Covid-19 on the labour market.

This has found that overall the proportion of 16-to 24-year-olds classed as NEET has remained stable in recent years, at just over 11 per cent between 2018 and 2020.

However, the number of young people listed as NEET rose by the highest quarterly figure in a decade last year, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

It was estimated that 797,000 young people in the UK were NEET between October and December 2020, up 39,000 on the previous quarter and the largest quarterly rise since July to September 2011.

Mental health problems continue to be a major factor in young people who become NEET.

Young people who listed a mental health challenge, such as depression or nervous disorders, as a reason for being NEET has almost trebled over the last eight years, from 7.7 per cent among 16-to 24-year-olds in 2012, to 20.8 per cent in 2020.

This is broadly in line with the growth in mental health problems among all young people, rising from 2.5 per cent to 7.9 per cent over the same period.

Long term problems around lack of work, training and education opportunities increased in 2020, the figures also show.

While in 2019 the proportion of those who were NEET for more than six months was 14.1 per cent, this rose to 17.5 per cent in 2020.

Research by the think tank New Philanthropy Capital found that young people are especially worried about rising unemployment due to the health crisis and young people's opportunities in a “post-Covid world”.

“Among school leavers and new graduates, there is a sense of pessimism around getting a job in a Covid-19 world or post-Covid-19 world,” according to NPC’s report.

Among action being taken to reduce the number of young people who are NEET is a Department for Education backed scheme to help young people learn the technology skills needed for customer support roles.

This five-week course is being run by not for profit organisation Generation UK.

Meanwhile, the charity Catch 22 has launched a training scheme aimed at helping young people secure jobs in the hospitality sector.

Called Step22, this apprenticeship scheme has been launched as pubs, hotels, bars and restaurants reopen later this year as Covid-19 lockdown eases.