An estimated 12.7% of all people aged 16 to 24 years in the UK were NEETs (people not in education, employment or training) in July to September 2025, according to official data published today.
Though the figures were down 0.1% compared with April to June 2025, and down 0.3% on the year, experts and business owners said AI and government cuts are to blame for the continued elevated levels of NEETs. One called them “devastating” and said “society will pay the price”.
In the third quarter, there were 946,000 young people who were NEET in total, a decrease of 1,000 on the quarter. This decrease was driven by young women, with a decrease of 16,000 on the quarter, while young men saw an increase of 15,000 on the quarter.
Of the total number of young people who were NEET, 512,000 were young men and 434,000 were young women. An estimated 13.4% of young men (up 0.3 percentage points on the quarter) and 11.9% of young women (down 0.5 percentage points on the quarter) were NEET.
The total number of people aged 18 to 24 years who were NEET was 880,000, up 7,000 on the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the percentage of all those aged 18 to 24 years who were NEET was 15.1%, up 0.1 percentage points on the quarter and down 0.3 percentage points on the year.
Reacting to the figures, Colin Crooks MBE, CEO at London-based Intentionality, said they are devastating and that society will pay the price: “Today’s figures reveal a crisis hiding in plain sight. While the headline number appears stable, the reality is devastating: 946,000 young people locked out of opportunity, with young men up 15,000 in just three months.
“Our economy is failing to create the starter jobs young people need, and government schemes are having no impact on the number of NEETs. If the Budget doesn’t give some support to small business, they’ll hire even fewer young people, not more.
“This waste of young talent is feeding directly into the general malaise and discontent felt across the country. When nearly a million young people see no pathway forward, society pays the price.
“We cannot solve this with repackaged schemes that have already failed. We need targeted intervention in high-unemployment areas, backing enterprises that genuinely understand local young people and provide sustained support—not box-ticking exercises.”
Sam Kirk, Managing Director at Retford-based J-Flex Rubber Products, said the government has to shoulder some of the responsibility for the level of NEETs and worries that next week’s Budget could make things worse: “Is it any wonder that roughly a million young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET) when the Government has slashed apprenticeship quality with shorter programmes and reduced funding?
“If the Budget piles more taxes on employers, expect even fewer entry-level roles and apprenticeships. We need incentives, not penalties, and investment in future-ready skills like AI.”
“Automation isn’t the enemy. If young people are trained to use it, it’s an opportunity. Coincidentally, two of our last four recruits are under 23, and they’re already leveraging AI to add value to our firm.”
Kate Underwood, Managing Director at Southampton-based Kate Underwood HR and Training, said the high number of NEETs comes as no surprise: “Nearly a million young people are NEET. Shocking? Not really. We’ve binned off entry-level jobs, gutted apprenticeships and let AI replace the very roles where people used to learn the ropes.
“We’ve had grads asking for 30k straight out of uni with no actual work experience. One employer recently told me: “They’ve got the degree but couldn’t run a meeting if their life depended on it.” And now some are using bots to answer interview questions in real time. Yep, that’s a thing.
“T-Levels, though, are actually working. Our engineering clients love them. Proper hands-on experience, not just sitting in a classroom talking about it.
“If the government adds more cost in the next Budget, small businesses will just stop hiring. Simple as that. You can’t prompt your way to experience. You’ve got to earn it. We just need to bring back the chances for them to do that.”
Colette Mason, AI Consultant at London-based Clever Clogs AI, said “the latest figures are grim, but the real monster is hidden in the hiring policies of tech-hungry companies”.
She continued: “We are sawing off the bottom rungs of the career ladder and blaming young people for not being able to climb it. Many studies show that firms highly exposed to AI cut junior roles while keeping senior staff safe.
“The Institute for Public Policy Research also warns that entry-level and part-time jobs are at the highest risk of being disrupted right now. This is short-term greed.
“If you delete the “grunt work” that juniors use to learn their trade, where does the next generation of experts come from? You cannot prompt engineer your way to years of on the job experience.
“We are creating a “lost generation” of NEETs not because they lack skills, by automating the very roles where they are supposed to learn. We need to stop treating AI as a cheap replacement for trainees and help them learn faster. If we don’t, in 10 years we’ll have plenty of software but no-one who understands what it’s for.”
Photo by Ussama Azam on Unsplash
