Number of young people not in education, employment or training at record low

The number of young people not in education, employment or training fell to a record low between July and September this year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

There were 757,000 young people aged 16-24 years old who were NEET — a decrease of 43,000 compared with July to September 2019 and down by 12,000 compared with April to June 2020.

The ONS data showed that 45.5% of young NEET people were looking for work and therefore classified as unemployed. The remaining 55.5% were either not looking for work and/or not available for work and were classified as economically inactive.

ONS also highlighted a gender split in the figures — the number of unemployed men who were NEET rose by 53,000 compared with April to June this year, while the number of young unemployed women fell by 7,000.

2020 has been difficult for many. According to The Guardian, more than 11,000 retailers shut down in the first half of 2020 due to the effects of Covid — twice as many as during the same period in 2019.

In November, Rishi Sunak confirmed that the furlough scheme would be extended until March 2021 in order “to give businesses security through the winter” and protect jobs.

According to Statista, approximately 9.6 million jobs have been furloughed in the UK as part of the Government’s job retention scheme.

With more than nine million employees furloughed, young people have found it hard to enter the workforce as businesses struggle to employ new staff.