Recommendations to End Youth Inactivity in the U.K.: A National Framework for Re-Engagement

Youth economic inactivity has become one of the United Kingdom’s most pressing social and economic challenges. Rising numbers of young people aged 16–24 who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) signal deeper structural pressures across education, health, careers guidance, and the labour market.

Youth inactivity is not a single condition but a convergence of overlapping risks that emerge across different life stages and systems. Health-related barriers, weak transitions from education into employment, structural changes in the labour market, and fragmented support systems all contribute to a landscape in which too many young people struggle to find a stable pathway forward.

This report examines the scale and nature of youth inactivity at a critical moment. While national initiatives such as the Youth Guarantee, Youth Hubs, and broader skills reforms represent important steps forward, the persistence and growth of inactivity suggests that deeper structural factors continue to shape young people’s transitions into education, training, and work.