The percentage of people aged between 16 and 24 who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) in the final quarter of 2022 exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time, at 11.5%, according to the ONS.
The seasonally adjusted figure - representing 788,000 people - was up by 0.4 percentage points from the same period in 2019, and was up by 0.9 percentage points from Q3 of 2022 in the largest increase since 2011.
Of this total, 299,000 were classed as unemployed, while 489,000 were economically inactive, meaning they were not currently looking for work.
While the figure is the highest in three years, it is still well below the average figures since records were first collected in 2001. In the third quarter of 2011,16.9% of young people were not in employment, education or training and the figure was above 10.9% in every quarter before the pandemic.
In absolute terms - before seasonal adjustments – the rate of young people not in employment, education or training declined by 0.3 percentage points, though this is typical for the period in the lead-up to Christmas as retailers look for short-term staff.
The rise in people not in employment, education or training was most drastic in the 18-20 age group, where it grew even before seasonal adjustments.
