Almost one million young people not in education, work or training
The number of young people not in education, employment or training has fallen in recent months however is still close to one million, official figures have shown.
There were an estimated 981,000 so-called Neets, aged 16 to 24, in April to June, a fall of 30,000 compared to the first quarter of the year.
The figure is still 30,000 higher than a year ago, the Office for National Statistics said.
The total had gone over one million earlier this year for the first time in more than a decade, fuelling calls for more help to get young people into work.
Chris Goulden, deputy chief executive of the Youth Futures Foundation, said: “This is a stark reminder that, despite small fluctuations in the data, the youth employment challenge remains a large, long-term problem.
“Hundreds of thousands of young people are continuing to miss out on the opportunity to earn, learn and build a secure future, leaving long-term scarring effects on their wellbeing, health and earning prospects.
“Behind the statistics are young people facing real and often complex barriers to entering and staying in education, training and employment.”
Sam Tims, lead analyst at the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “Nearly a million young people not earning or learning is the result of an economy that leaves young people behind, creates too few opportunities, and particularly fails those growing up in poverty.
“It speaks to a lack of support for young people to move forward with their lives.
“Not only does growing up in persistent poverty more than triple the risk of being out of work or learning, inadequate income also prevents people from being able to move back into learning or earning.”
He added that a forthcoming review by former government minister Alan Milburn on youth unemployment must be a “turning point” for the support offered to young people.
The Government must not repeat “past mistakes, like cutting incomes and imposing ever more punitive sanctions that failed to improve outcomes,” Mr Tims said.
A landmark report from Mr Milburn earlier this year warned the Neet crisis was costing the UK around £125bn a year.
He said it was “the most significant challenge facing the country today” and argued tackling it is “more than an economic crisis, it is a moral one”.
Britain was facing a “lost generation” unless it acts, he added. Mr Milburn is set to bring forward his recommendations later this year.
Speaking about today’s figures, the former health secretary said: “Nearly one million young lives on hold is a scar on this country.
“Young people are desperate for an opportunity to learn or earn. Instead, we’re creating a lost generation. They want to work – they just need a chance.
“My review will set out how that can be achieved so that young people get their futures back.”
In West Yorkshire, Mayor Tracy Brabin has pledged that every young person will be guaranteed work experience opportunities.
At the same time, York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith announced that a £1.1m fund to help employers create more inclusive job opportunities has been renewed for a second year.