An independent inquiry will examine why rising numbers of the UK’s young people aren’t working or studying, the government has announced.
Nearly 1 million young people aged 16-24 – around 1 in 8 – are neither earning nor learning. The numbers have been rising for the last three years.
Announcing the review, Pat McFadden, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, called the figures a “crisis of opportunity”.
The inquiry, which will be led by former health secretary Alan Milburn, will particularly focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability.
Over a quarter of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) now cite long-term sickness or disability as a barrier, compared to around 1 in 10 in 2013-14.
Mr Milburn says he will work with a panel of expert advisors to uncover why current approaches to get young people into jobs or education aren’t working.
But data has shown that some approaches are working: 75% of those who finish the Spear Programme get into work or education and are still there a year later. Spear trainees each have three barriers to work, on average. These include mental health challenges and low qualifications.
Last month, Mr McFadden mentioned in Parliament that a study by his department’s Data Lab in 2022 had been “really positive” about the effect of Spear in getting young people into work or education.
Resurgo, which runs the Spear Programme, is urging Mr Milburn to harness the insights that Spear has gathered from supporting more than 11,000 young people over two decades.
Spear trainee Ruqayyah dropped out of sixth form and for the whole of 2023 she didn’t leave her house. Since doing Spear, she’s worked as a care assistant, and this year began a social sciences course at a college in London.
“Before I stepped into the Spear Programme, my life was very bleak… I was very isolated and very alone. Thanks to Spear, I’ve been able to build up that resilience. So when things get tough, I’m able to keep going.”
As part of the review, Mr Milburn will engage with young people with lived experience of disabilities and mental health struggles, to form practical recommendations. He will share interim findings with the government in spring 2026, with the final report published in the summer.
The government says the findings will shape its action to improve opportunities, support, and employment prospects for young people with health conditions and disabilities.
Mr Milburn said: “We cannot stand by and let a generation of young people be consigned to a life without employment or prospects. 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.”