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A major new report has warned that schools in the UK are becoming a “pipeline” to unemployment and worklessness for a growing number of young people, raising fears of a “lost generation” being left behind.
The warning comes from Peter Hyman, a former adviser to both Tony Blair and Keir Starmer, who says urgent action is needed to tackle the country’s rising number of young people not in education, employment or training — commonly known as Neets.
Hyman argued that the current education system is failing many teenagers and young adults, leaving them unprepared for an increasingly competitive job market. He also called for stronger restrictions on social media and major reforms to the education sector to prevent more young people from slipping through the cracks.
According to the report, many school leavers feel abandoned, isolated, and unable to find meaningful opportunities after finishing education. Hyman said too many young people are unfairly labelled as “snowflakes” when the real issue is systemic failure by government institutions, employers, and wider society.
The UK now has one of the highest rates of youth worklessness among wealthy European nations. The number of young people classified as Neet has climbed to nearly one million — the highest figure recorded in more than a decade.
Concern inside government is also growing ahead of a separate report from former cabinet minister Alan Milburn, who recently warned MPs that Britain could face a youth employment crisis even more damaging than the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash.
During the financial crisis, the Neet rate among 16- to 24-year-olds peaked at 16.8% in 2012 before later falling. However, the figure has recently risen again to 12.8%, driven by a weak labour market and increasing mental health struggles among young people.
Milburn warned that today’s crisis is more deeply rooted than previous economic downturns because unemployment and poor mental health are now feeding into each other, creating what he described as a dangerous cycle with long-term consequences.
The new report, titled Inside the Mind of a Young Neet, was co-written by researcher Shuab Gamote and draws on conversations with more than 400 young people across the UK. It argues that today’s generation faces a unique mix of pressures including poverty, the long-term effects of Covid-19, loneliness, social media addiction, and economic instability.
Researchers say the findings should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers, warning that without urgent reform, thousands more young people could become disconnected from both education and employment in the years ahead.
