The Labour Party government has announced a new initiative aimed at identifying children at risk of becoming NEET-young people not in education, employment, or training-in a bid to tackle the growing crisis. Concerned by the rising number of NEETs across the UK, Labour peer Alan Milburn has been commissioned to produce the Milburn Review, which examines the scale of the issue and proposes actionable solutions.
Under the proposed plan, primary schools will be encouraged to identify pupils who may be at risk of leaving the education system without employment prospects at just 16 years old. Milburn emphasised the importance of early detection, stating that warning signs can be evident “from a very early, early age. You know, frankly from preschool.”
This approach will be a key component of Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the Labour government’s strategy to rein in the expanding costs borne by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) due to youth unemployment.
“So, definitely primary schools should be identifying children who are at risk of being NEET. And secondary schools and other services should be intercepting, intervening, supporting and helping those young people to get on a different path.”
Milburn further explained the need to enhance education and support systems for young people, underscoring the importance of creating greater job opportunities while also stressing that such opportunities come with certain obligations.
His interim review, published in May, comes amid official statistics showing that over one million young people are currently classified as NEET-the highest number seen in more than twelve years. The report revealed that six in ten NEET individuals have never held a job, an increase from four in ten in 2005, although 84 per cent of those surveyed expressed a desire to find work or undertake training.
Between January and March 2026, there were 1,012,000 young people recorded as NEET, representing 13.5% of all young people in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Meanwhile, around 613,000 people were regarded as “economically inactive,” meaning they are neither looking for nor available to work.
The Labour government’s initiative marks a concerted effort to provide early support and opportunities to young people at risk, aiming to reverse the upward trend in youth unemployment and disengagement from education and employment.