The Briefing Room, The Briefing Room, Why is youth unemployment in the UK so high?

The Briefing Room

The Briefing Room

Why is youth unemployment in the UK so high?

26 March 2026

29 minutes

Available for over a year

It's a tough time for any young person looking for a job at the moment. While overall unemployment is running at just over 5 percent, there’s particular concern about a large group of 16 to 24 year olds - almost a million of them (12.8%) who are not in employment, education or training. And that includes recent graduates in that age bracket. They’re known as NEETS. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss why they're in this situation - is it down to the state of the economy, their own ability to work or that ever present fear - AI?

Guests:

Jack Kennedy, Senior Economist, Indeed Hiring Lab

Lindsay Judge, Research Director, The Resolution Foundation

Xiaowei Xu, Senior Research Economist, Institute for Fiscal Studies.

John Burn-Murdoch, Chief Data Reporter, The Financial Times

Presenter: David Aaronovitch

Producers: Caroline Bayley, Nathan Gower, Kirsteen Knight

Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Sound Engineer: James Beard

Editor: Richard Vadon