In 2023, the percentage of young people aged 16-24 in the UK classified as 'not in education, employment, or training' (otherwise known as NEET) was estimated to be 11.9% (HM Government 2024), one of the highest rates compared to other countries in the EU (Eurostat 2024) and OECD (OECD 2024). As of February 2024, the inactivity rate for young people in the UK also reached close to its highest level on record since 1992 (Francis-Devine & Powell 2024).
The Youth Futures Foundation ('Youth Futures') is an organisation dedicated to removing disparities in employment outcomes for marginalised young people. Considering high NEET rates in the UK, Youth Futures wants to learn from effective interventions from abroad (European Union and OECD countries) to try and reduce them.
Youth Futures has commissioned RAND Europe – together with Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, the Institute for Structural Research (IBS), and Utrecht University – to investigate international NEET rates and identify successful initiatives that have helped reduce these rates particularly among marginalised young people through evidence review and case studies. The results from our research will advise Youth Futures and other relevant stakeholders on potential evidence-based initiatives that they could support.
