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Fewer NEETs in second quarter, graduate placement firms are told

Published: Wednesday, 18 August 2010   Category: All Graduate job news

The number of young Britons not in education, employment or training (NEET) has fallen, companies which operate graduate schemes have been informed.

According to the latest figures from the Department for Education (DfE), 16.3 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds were NEET in the second quarter, down from 17.6 per cent in Q2 2009.

The new statistics follow a similar improvement in the first quarter, when 776,000 were classified as NEET, compared to 831,000 during the equivalent period 12 months earlier.

"Despite the welcome fall in the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training, the overall numbers are still too high," said a spokesman for the DfE.

"This government is committed to narrowing the gap between the richest and poorest and we are working to give all young people, regardless of their background, the best opportunities to progress."

The figures also revealed that 874,000 individuals aged between 16 and 24 were classified as NEET during the second quarter, representing 14.5 per cent of the entire age group.

A recent study by thinktank Demos suggested that companies should receive funding from the government to offer graduate work experience placements to NEETs.

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