The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated 981,000 UK residents ages 16 to 24 were outside work, education or training, a measure of the challenge facing UK employment policy and public finances.
In a Nov. 15 opinion column in The Guardian, Prime Minister Andy Burnham argued that political decisions helped create the problem and called for earlier action across childhood, education, health and employment. He said ministers would respond in full to Alan Milburn’s review recommendations in the coming weeks. “We must intervene long before they find themselves out of work and reliant on the state,” Burnham wrote.
Burnham’s proposals covered academic and technical education, technical pathways in schools, mental health support and work experience.
The ONS estimate covers April to June 2026 and represents 13% of people in that age group. It was 30,000 higher than a year earlier but 30,000 lower than in the previous quarter. The total included 393,000 people classified as unemployed and 588,000 who were economically inactive.
For this measure, economically inactive people were not seeking work in the previous four weeks and/or were unable to start within the next two weeks. The category therefore includes people who are not looking for work as well as those unable to begin a job soon.
Milburn’s interim review, published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in May, described a difficult transition from school into employment, including fewer entry-level openings. Its latest data showed that 19% of students ages 16 to 17 did any work, compared with 35% in 2006. The report also cited weak qualifications, poor health, limited work experience and little help navigating the labor market as barriers for some young people.
The review said the costs extend across benefit spending, lost tax revenue, health, housing and local services. It projected that, if current trends continued, the share of young people outside work, education or training could exceed 16% — more than 1.25 million people — within five years. That was a forecast, not a current count.
DWP announced on Nov. 14 that the Jobs Guarantee would expand across England, Scotland and Wales from the end of November. Eligible 18- to 24-year-olds claiming Universal Credit and looking for work are to be offered a fully funded, six-month job. The government says the scheme will help more than 90,000 young people into work by March 2029.
From April 2027, eligible claimants who have been on Universal Credit and out of work for 12 months will be able to access the guarantee; the qualifying period is currently 18 months. The government will fund up to 25 paid hours a week at the relevant minimum wage. ONS has cautioned that its Labour Force Survey estimates are volatile, particularly for smaller groups. Its next estimate of young people outside work, education or training is scheduled for Nov. 26.
