Youth unemployment tsar proposes priority cash support for most vulnerable NEETs
Tens of thousands of vulnerable young people could get "priority access" to cash payments and training to help them into work, under recommendations being drafted by the Government's youth unemployment tsar, Alan Milburn. The Labour grandee is due to give his final recommendations on how to help young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) this autumn.
The cash support being considered for the most vulnerable 16-to-24-year-old Neets could come in the form of a taxpayer-funded benefit, grant or subsidy. This would be an option if Milburn's recommendations are accepted by the Government.
'Cliff edge'
Care leavers, young carers, teenage parents and young people leaving custody are considered the most vulnerable Neets and Milburn is understood to be considering urging they get "priority" help as part of any reforms.
Milburn told The i Paper he is particularly concerned about these groups as they are "most at risk" of falling off a "cliff edge" and into unemployment when they turn 18, when they lose the specialist support available to them as children.
"Turning 18 should be a moment when a young person gets more independence and more opportunity," he said. "For too many, it is the moment when the support around them disappears overnight."
"For these groups this birthday is a cliff edge and not a springboard into adulthood," he added.
A Government spokesperson said it is committed to delivering "opportunity in every postcode," which is why it commissioned Milburn to "look into the barriers to employment facing young people." The spokesperson added that "further reform will follow the conclusion of his review."
'Navigating adulthood alone'
On the day a young person turns 18, their support disappears: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, children's social care, school support, and transport concessions all end. Adult services do not automatically kick in to catch them.
"We should not accept a system that is prepared to invest heavily in a young person's childhood and then abandon them to navigate adulthood alone," Milburn said.
Under Milburn's recommendations, the most vulnerable Neets could also be assigned "a trusted adult" who would serve as a dedicated advisor.
The review found that support services "fragment," and there is no institution responsible for making sure a young person stays on track.
Statistics on NEETs
Recent figures show that the number of young Neets surged: an estimated 1,012,000 – or 5 per cent of 16-to-24-year-olds – were Neet between January and March 2026.
Milburn's review also highlighted that the number of 16-to-24-year-olds with care responsibilities for a relative has risen from an estimated 200,000 in 2014/2015 to 300,000 in 2024/2025.
Statistics cited in the report show that 314,000 Neets aged 18-24 are thought to be unknown to the system because they don't receive benefits. There are approximately 81,770 children in England's care system, a rise of almost 18 per cent since 2015.
The Neet rate nearly trebles – from around 4 per cent to 13 per cent – when people turn 18. For care leavers, the rate rises from 22 per cent at 17 to 31 per cent at 18. Only 22 per cent of care leavers are in work by the age of 27, compared with 57 per cent of their peers.
People who have been supervised by Youth Offending Teams are more than twice as likely to spend six months or more Neet. Having a child before the age of 21 more than doubles the likelihood of being Neet.
Political context
The UK's total welfare and social security bill is around £333bn per year. Andy Burnham has said that Britain must "get really serious" about the growing welfare bill. Pat McFadden told The i Paper in June that the existing universal credit system was not fit for purpose.
A Government spokesperson said they are investing 5 billion in youth employment support.