Rachel Reeves described the increasing number of British youth, not at work, education, or training (NET) “a stigma for our country.”
In a conversation on the fire side at a manufacturing conference in London, the counselor expressed his warning that nearly a million people from 18 to 24 years “sit at home do not do anything” instead of gaining valuable skills or experience in the workplace.
Official figures show that the total Neets number in the 16-24 life segment rose to 987,000 between October and 2024, up from 877,000 in the previous year. This is equivalent to 13.4 percent of all young people – an increase of 1.3 percentage points. Reeves emphasized that it is “necessary” to reflect this upward trend, on the pretext that the nation cannot afford to “waste the best time in their lives.”
Her comments follow criticism from business leaders, who warn of tax increases for the last budget of exacerbating the problem by reducing job opportunities. The National Statistics Office confirmed that 14.4 percent of young people and 12.3 percent of young women fall into the NET category. Among a total of 987,000, 542,000 men and 445,000 women.
Stephen Evans, CEO of the Learning and Labor Institute, said the numbers may be a sign of “more trouble in the future in the absence of economic growth”, and urged immediate government measures to provide young people with a place, training or vocational training.
Meanwhile, Reeves highlighted plans to expand access to vocational training for those who have not fulfilled English or mathematics requirements. She concluded that changing these statistics around her should be a priority, insisting: “It is a stigma for our country that we allow a million people to sit at home who do nothing often.”