A new report by Alan Milburn warns 1.25million young people could be out of work, training or education within the next five years, known as ‘Neet’. Three major charity leaders chiefs their voices from the frontline
We are failing our children. A decent job, long seen as the first step into adult life, is increasingly out of reach for many young people.
The first report of the Milburn review, published today, provides a clear diagnosis. Every one of us who holds power, sets the rules and employs people is part of this failure.
It is easy to point to faults in the system, but these structures are propped up by us all. We maintain the status quo because we believe it is too difficult or costly to change it. Worse, many indulge in blame and judgement, suggesting that young people lack resilience or are claiming to have a mental health condition or neurodiversity to maintain their benefit lifestyle.
As organisations working closely with young people, we know that many want to work, train or enter education, and persevere despite the increasingly high hurdles placed in their way.
A recent survey by Mental Health UK found that the vast majority of young adults not in education, employment or training (NEET) are actively looking for work. However, unemployment is rising and vacancies have fallen to a five-year low. Entry-level roles attract hundreds of applicants, and in some sectors young people now compete with AI.
Some groups, such as disabled young people, face even greater barriers to entering work. Mencap’s research shows that young people with a learning disability consistently want to work yet too often do not receive the support they need to do so.
This is not a question of ambition. It reflects how routes into work are set up, who they are designed for, and whether suitable opportunities exist.
For many young people, this means months or years living at home, unable to gain a foothold in work when they would normally be building independence.
Meanwhile, those living independently scrape by, worrying how they will make ends meet. Insecure jobs come and go, debt increases, and home ownership remains a distant dream. Uncertainty becomes the backdrop to everyday life.
There is broad agreement that good work supports good mental health. It’s no surprise then, that wellbeing suffers when stable work feels out of reach. Some leave school already struggling, with conditions untreated by overstretched services.
Others lose confidence as rejection after rejection arrives. Many become caught in a vicious cycle, where poor mental health makes it harder to find work, and the absence of work worsens mental health.
Our three organisations, like many across the country, see tackling this issue as a national endeavour, and we stand ready to play our part. Sustained commitment will be needed across political parties, government departments, public services and wider society. The risk now is that, amid competing pressures, this critical moment passes without meaningful change.
Currently, support into employment remains fragmented. Young people are left to navigate a confusing, disconnected array of services. We need stronger partnerships bringing together schools, universities, employers, jobcentres, health services and charities to create clearer pathways into work. In Bradford, local organisations have coordinated support and connected young people with opportunities, contributing to some of the lowest NEET rates the area has seen.
Employers also have a crucial role to play. Many want to open opportunities to a wider pool of young people, including disabled people and those experiencing mental health challenges, but do not always feel confident doing so. In practice, many adjustments are straightforward. What is often missing is not willingness, but the support and confidence to act.
We also need to be honest about what won’t help. Removing financial support for disabled young people is a blunt approach that risks pushing them further away from independence and work.
Above all, this is a question of fairness. Young people should have a genuine chance to build a working life. A generation is ready to contribute, but that alone is not enough. What matters is whether we create the conditions for them to do so.
Alan Milburn’s interim report stops short of suggesting solutions. They will come next. We are sure that there will not be agreement on every single proposal. But we cannot allow differences of opinion to get in the way of action, or baulk at the scale of the challenge and rely on the usual refrain that ‘we can’t afford it’.
Investment will pay off in decades to come, funding public services and our pensions. It is not only the smart thing to do for the economy, but also the right thing to do for this generation. We owe this to our young people. We cannot continue to let them down.
Words by Brian Dow, Chief Executive of Mental Health UK, Dr Ruth Owen, Chief Executive of Leonard Cheshire and Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Mencap