UK Youth Unemployment: Number of Neets Fall to Lowest Level Since 2005

The number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neets) has fallen to its lowest level since 2005, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics said the number of Neets had fallen to 955,000 in the three months to June – a drop of 138,000 when compared to the same period last year.

The figures also meant that the number of Neets in the UK had fallen to its lowest level since the three months to September in 2005 when there were 937,000 Neets.

The research revealed that just under half (48%) of all young people in the UK who were Neets were looking for work and available for work and therefore classified as unemployed, in the three months to June.

The ONS said the remainder were either not looking for work and/or not available for work and therefore classified as economically inactive.

"New economic opportunities are helping erode away youth unemployment, whilst new job vacancies are transforming the jobs market from a barren wasteland in which it was incredibly difficult to find a first job, into a land of opportunity for Britain's young workforce," said Andrew Hunter, co-founder of jobs website Adzuna.

"Falling youth unemployment has been helped along the way by a flourishing graduate labour market and more employers are investing in entry level talent, by training up less experienced staff to meet growing demand."

The figures comes after ONS revealed that the UK youth unemployment rate (16 to 24-year-olds) fell to 16.9% in the three months to June.