Government misconstrues youth employment data: The NEET crisis narrative examined

Summary

This article argues that the UK government is misinterpreting youth employment data by focusing on the NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) statistic of nearly one million young people. The author contends, through data analysis, that the government is conflating different types of NEETs (such as those who are unemployed vs. economically inactive) and that the real crisis is a broader employment problem for young people, not specifically a NEET crisis. The piece is part of a multi-post series responding to Lord Alan Milburn's interim report on young people and work.