Nearly a million 16- to 24-year-olds
are not in education, employment or training (NEET). After
falling for most of the 2010s, the NEET rate increased from 11.5%
in 2019 Q2 to 13.0% in 2026 Q2 one of the highest rates in
Europe. With the Milburn Review of young people and work due
later this month, a new IFS comment sets out
the essential facts underlying the review, including recent
trends in youth education, employment and benefit claims. We
suggest five key questions for evaluating the Review's policy
proposals.
Xiaowei Xu, a Senior Research
Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies,
said:
The Milburn review faces a difficult
task. There are a range of factors behind the rising NEET rate,
not all of them fully understood. Tackling the problem will
require action across several fronts: helping young people
overcome barriers to work, improving opportunities for education
and training, and incentivising employers to offer more jobs.
Given the very different circumstances of young people who are
NEET, a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to work. A key
question for the government will be how much they are willing to
invest in the short run in the hope of a payoff in future
years.
You can read the full comment on the IFS
website here: https://ifs.org.uk/articles/challenges-milburn-review
