A Welfare System in Crisis: Why Labour Must Reform The UK's youth unemployment crisis has been exacerbated by a welfare system that prioritizes benefits over employment support.
According to former minister Alan Milburn's review, nearly 1 million young people (16 24) are not in work or education.
The statistics on Neet (Not in Education, Employment or Training) youth are stark: from October to December 2025, 957,000 young people fell into this category, representing 12. 8% of those in that age group.