Express & Star
·27 Aug 2026
Number of young people not in education, employment or training falls
The number of 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK who are not in education, employment or training fell by 30,000 to an estimated 981,000 in April to June 2026. However, the figure remains 30,000 higher than a year earlier and follows a rise above one million earlier in the year. Youth and disability charities, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the TUC said the figures reflect persistent barriers including poverty, inaccessible recruitment, weak employment support and a shortage of good training and job opportunities. Former minister Alan Milburn said his forthcoming review must help reverse the long-term trend, while the TUC called for stronger vocational education, work placements, training and economic growth.