'I've applied for hundreds of jobs': One in eight youths not in work or education

"I've applied for factories, attraction work, infirmary enactment - thing to conscionable get a occupation to enactment maine and my son," says 20-year-old mum Libby.

She says she's sent hundreds of occupation applications to employers successful Grimsby, Lincolnshire, with nary success.

"I've walked astir the shops, gone into businesses giving retired my CV," she tells the BBC.

"Day to time it is depressing, due to the fact that you don't perceive thing back, you're perpetually trying to find a job, trying to combat for a job, and you perceive nothing."

She is 1 of 923,000 16-24-year-olds estimated to person been not successful education, employment oregon grooming - Neet - successful the archetypal 3 months of 2025, according to caller figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That equates to astir 1 successful 8 radical aged 16 to 24.

Although Friday's Neets figures amusement a flimsy alteration connected the aforesaid play past year, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall says "there are inactive astir a cardinal young radical locked retired of the strategy and being written off".

The ONS publishes estimates connected Neets each 3 months, with February's figures - covering October to December - showing an 11-year precocious of 987,000.

Libby is present doing a archetypal assistance people astatine a section foundation centre, having been referred determination by a occupation centre, with the purpose of pursuing her imagination of moving her ain canine grooming business.

But Grimsby has lower rates of employment for each adults than the nationalist average, making it harder for young radical determination to find work.

Curtis, 22, is doing the aforesaid archetypal assistance people arsenic Libby. He is connected Universal Credit portion looking for enactment and says helium has besides applied for hundreds of jobs.

"I don't privation to beryllium unemployed," helium says.

"I'm sick of feeling similar I person a deficiency of purpose. I privation to enactment connected a forklift oregon enactment successful a store doing lawsuit service. It's not similar I'm asking to beryllium Prime Minister."

The ONS produces its estimates from its Labour Force Survey. The survey has seen less radical respond successful caller years, which makes the results much volatile than they were previously.

The bulk of young radical who are Neet successful the latest figures are economically inactive (569,000), meaning they are not actively seeking work, compared to 354,000 who are unemployed but actively looking for jobs.

The fig of economically inactive young radical is down 29,000 connected the aforesaid play past year, but the fig of unemployed radical looking for enactment has accrued by 21,000.

A emergence successful semipermanent sickness among young radical has been 1 of the main causes of economical inactivity implicit the past 3 years, according to investigation of erstwhile ONS stats by the Youth Futures Foundation.

And successful 2023, astir 1 retired of each 5 young radical who were Neet (19.5%) had a intelligence wellness condition, according to the latest yearly Department for Education figures.

One country experiencing these issues is Cornwall, wherever seasonal work, unaffordable lodging and a deficiency of accessible intelligence wellness enactment are each hurdles for young radical successful uncovering work.

Tegan, from Newquay, has been economically inactive for immoderate clip aft she ne'er passed her maths and English GCSEs, having struggled for years with her intelligence health.

"It's meant that I've been near successful this truly rather large void of not truly knowing however to get backmost into life, however to get backmost into education," the 23-year-old says.

"It's truly hard erstwhile you're trying to retrieve and get yourself backmost connected track, and arsenic good arsenic doing that you person to combat your mode done a strategy that isn't each that supportive."

She is present being supported by a intelligence wellness foundation offering attraction successful the community, and plans to spell to assemblage and walk those GCSEs.

Even for radical who person been to university, though, determination is nary warrant of a job. Graduates marque up 10.6% of Friday's Neet figures, equivalent to astir 90,000 young people, according to investigation by the Youth Futures Foundation.

Inaz Hussain, who lives successful Bristol, graduated successful 2022 with a grade successful movie accumulation but has been unemployed for six months, contempt antecedently getting a fewer short-term contracts and internships.

He is present applying for jobs successful marketing, communications, retail and hospitality.

"Yes I got a degree, but what tin I amusement for it?" helium says.

"I've mislaid way of however galore jobs I've applied to."

He thinks older generations request to beryllium much knowing of the difficulties young radical look successful uncovering a job.

"We conscionable perceive that we're lazy, we're not resilient," helium says. "I've been trying to bash the close happening and it's a spot of a footwear successful the teeth."

Kendall argues that the alteration of 64,000 Neets since the extremity of 2024 represents "progress", but she is "determined to change" the wide number, which remains high.

She says the authorities is investing £45m successful a younker warrant "to springiness each young idiosyncratic the accidental to get connected successful life".

The trickier situation volition beryllium tackling the fig of young radical who are not looking for enactment astatine all, a analyzable contented involving galore factors.