Burnham pledges changes to how welfare system works to tackle UK NEETs crisis in politics

A proposed new welfare offer

Burnham says the welfare system currently assesses people, makes a payment and then often offers no further help. His proposed approach would guarantee support while expecting young people to take up available opportunities.

Why young people feel excluded

Burnham points to the pandemic’s impact, the effects of social media on confidence and belonging, and an education system focused on university. He also cites a job market with too few opportunities as reasons many young people are shut out.

Around 1 million people in the UK aged 16 to 24 are not in employment, education or training. Among care leavers, 40% are recorded as NEET, with another 6% having unknown activity.

Report highlights uneven childhoods

The report says four local authorities spend £0 per teenager on youth services, £421 less than the highest-spending authority. It also finds that some areas send nearly 90% of looked-after children to placements outside their area, compared with almost 20% in areas making the least use of such placements.

National figures and next steps

The report says 1,048,965 children had active referrals to children and young people’s mental health services in 2024-25. It also reports that 55% of pupils do not achieve grade 5 or better in both English and maths GCSEs.

The government had been expected to publish Alan Milburn’s final report and recommendations on NEETs before the budget, but it is now expected next month. Milburn has argued in an interview that some benefit payments should be cut to fund more employment support.