According to Youth Futures, in their newest report which brings together the latest data and evidence on the youth employment landscape in 2024, including experiences of both unemployment and economic inactivity among young people.
Key findings from the report show that:
- NEET rates in the UK are worsening, with 872,000 young people out of education, employment or training
- Young men and young people from certain ethnic minority backgrounds experience higher NEET rates.
- There is significant regional variation, with the North East seeing the highest NEET rate at 15%.
- Marginalised young people face significant barriers to employment, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities and those with experiences in the care system.
- Two of the major issues affecting young people’s employment in 2024 are poor mental health and the state of the apprenticeship system.
At Sheffield Futures, we see these issues first-hand, across both our employability work and our health and wellbeing work. The two areas cannot be treated in isolation – stable wellbeing is paramount to ensuring that a young person has a strong foundation on which to build their professional experience, whether this is through employment, education or training. Embedding a ‘Wellbeing Thread’ across all strands of support that we offer means that wellbeing is not treated as an ‘add on’ or a separate issue, but rather is recognised as being equally important in all aspects of life, including work, housing, relationships, and physical health.
Read the full report below.