Former social mobility commissioner Alan Milburn will lead an independent investigation into rising numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), the government has announced.
The review, which will place a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disabilities, is hoped to tackle what work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden has warned is a “crisis of opportunity”.
Figures show that nearly one million young people, approximately one in eight young people aged 16 to 24, are currently NEET.
The government is trying to cut its “ballooning” benefits bill and announced earlier this year that it plans to slash health and disability benefits for young people in a bid to push them into employment or training.
Officials said today that over a quarter of NEET young people now cite long-term sickness or disability as a barrier to participation, compared to just 12 per cent in 2013-14.
The number of young people claiming Universal Credit (UC) health and employment support allowance has also increased by more than 50 per cent in the last five years.
And around 80 per cent of young people on the UC health element currently cite mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition among declared health conditions.
The NEET review announcement comes days after new analysis from Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working review also revealed a 76 per cent increase in economically inactive 16–34-year-olds with mental health conditions since 2019.
Additionally, the review found that being out of work at a young age can cost over £1 million in lost earnings over a lifetime.
McFadden said: “The rising number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) is a crisis of opportunity that demands more action to give them the chance to learn or earn.
“We cannot afford to lose a generation of young people to a life on benefits, with no work prospects and not enough hope.”
‘Uncompromising in exposing failures’
Last month’s post-16 education and skills white paper contained a range of new measures designed to combat rising young NEET numbers, including auto-enrolling school-leavers on post-16 courses and tracking attendance of 16 to 19-year-olds.
Milburn was health secretary from 1999 to 2003 and is a former chair of the social mobility commission. He was appointed last year as a non-executive director of the Department of Health and Social Care.
His review will make “practical recommendations to help young people with health conditions access work, training or education — ensuring they are supported to thrive, not sidelined,” the government said.
The report will not cover the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.
It will “complement” the Timms Review, which was launched in October to examine broader reforms to the disability benefits system, by “focusing specifically on the link between youth mental health, economic inactivity and benefit system”.
Milburn said: “We cannot stand by and let a generation of young people be consigned to a life without employment or prospects. It’s clear urgent action is needed.
“That’s why with the help of a panel of expert advisors; I will aim to get to the bottom of why current efforts are not preventing young people from becoming trapped out of work and education.
“The review will be uncompromising in exposing failures in employment support, education, skills, health and welfare and will produce far-reaching recommendations for change to enhance opportunities for young people to learn and earn.”
Interim findings will be shared with the government in Spring 2026, with the final report published in summer 2026.
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