Youth unemployment remains high, as TUC call for continued support for young people

Youth unemployment has shown an increase of 109,000 compared to last year. In May to July 2026:

• there were 751,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who were unemployed, 109,000 more than the previous year. The unemployment rate for young people was 16.4%, up from 14.3% from the year before.
• there were 3.82 million young people aged 16 to 24 in employment, 36,000 fewer than a year before. The employment rate for young people was 50.7%, down from 51.9% the year before.
• there were 2.97 million young people aged 16 to 24 who were economically inactive, 33,000 more than in the previous year. The inactivity rate for young people was 39.4%, down from 39.5% a year before.

In addition, Labour Force Survey figures show that in April to June 2026, there were 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 who were not in employment, education or training (NEET), 13.0% of all 16-to-24-year-olds. This includes unemployed and economically inactive young people who are not in education or training. In January to March 2026, the number of young people who are NEET exceeded 1 million for the first time since 2013.

Young people across the UK face major regional disparities in finding work, new research by IPPR has found, as the worst areas to be not in education, training or employment (Neet) are revealed. Some places have just one vacancy for every 22 young people, the findings show.

The think tank warned that the crisis over the high number of young Neets cannot be solved without creating opportunities in the places that lack them.

Responding to the latest labour market statistics, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

The labour market picture remains finely balanced. Jobs and pay remain under pressure.

Supporting more young people into work must remain a key priority. The Government needs to expand the Jobs Guarantee to ensure more young people gain important experience of paid work.

Stronger growth is the key, and recent progress on GDP needs to be sustained. It is time to release the handbrake on public investment and continue breaking the UK’s cycle of economic stagnation.