21,000 young people not in education or work

21,000 young people in Northern Ireland are not in education, employment or training, according to new research

The statistics, published by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA), showed that 21,000 young people aged between 16 and 24 did not participate in any form of education, employment or training (NEET) between October and December 2018.

Of the 21,000 who were NEET, 11,000 were male and 9,000 were female.

Across the UK, the proportion of young people who are NEET is 11 percent. The remainder of those who were not in education, employment or training were looking for work in the previous four weeks and available to start within the next two weeks.

However, despite government concern, the NISRA say that the number of NEETS has been on a general downward trend over the last five years. In 2013 there were over 28,000 young people who were NEET in October to December 2013.

The associated NEETs tables are available at: Quarterly Labour Force Survey Tables. The next table will be published on the NISRA website on 21st May.