NEET Trends Analysis (2026 Q2): Health and young people’s labour market outcomes

Overview

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that nearly 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET), an increase of 30,000 from the same quarter last year.

This means that around 1 in 8 (13.0%) young people are not earning or learning.

This edition of our NEET Trends Analysis explores young people’s health conditions in more depth to determine how young people’s health relates to their labour market status.

Poor health is shaping young people’s labour market outcomes and has become a defining feature of the NEET challenge.

Our analysis finds that over the past decade, the proportion of young people reporting health conditions has increased and become more complex – with more young people reporting multiple health conditions.

This summary presents the key findings from our analysis.

Key findings

• In 2026, nearly 1 in 5 of all NEET young people report having three or more health conditions.
• Health conditions often overlap, both within and across health categories.
• Economically inactive NEET young people are more likely to report having a health condition, at 60.4%.
• In general, higher prevalence of health conditions has not lead to an increase in rates of benefit claimants.

These trends present a policy challenge – an increase in both the number and complexity of health conditions experienced by NEET young people. An ambitious policy response is needed to provide more effective support to young people experiencing multiple and overlapping health conditions.

Sources

Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics