Latest official statistics have shown the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) in the UK has continued its downward trend.
An Office for National Statistics (ONS) report published today said that there were 922,000 16 to 24-year-old Neets between April and June this year — a decrease of 21,000 from January to March 2015 and down 44,000 from a year earlier.
The figures meant 12.7 per cent of the total number of 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK (7,258,000) were Neet, which the ONS said was the lowest figure during any quarter-period over the last five years.
The proportion of Neets among 16 to 24-year-olds for April to June was 0.3 per cent down on the previous quarterly figures for January to March, and 0.5 per cent lower than the figure for the same three monthly period last year.
The report added: “Just under half (47 per cent) of all young people in the UK who were Neet were looking for work and available for work and therefore classified as unemployed.
“The remainder were either not looking for work and/or not available for work and therefore classified as economically inactive.”