Alan Milburn鈥檚 interim findings on 16 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) give an 鈥榓larming and accurate鈥� picture of the complexities facing young people as they look for work.

The interim report has found the number of NEETs in the UK has risen to more than one million - the highest it's been in 12 years.

Complex difficulties in finding work

Young people face genuine and complex difficulties in finding work. Narratives that they 鈥榙on鈥檛 want to work鈥� are dismissive, condescending and unhelpful in addressing this generational crisis.

Early intervention for poor mental health, that starts at school age, is crucial to helping young people thrive in life and work.

Jenny Smith, our Parliamentary and Public Affairs Officer, said:

鈥淭his report paints an alarming and accurate picture of the many complex factors affecting young people as they navigate the challenges of the job market. It shows the true, human scale of this generational crisis 鈥� and its findings reinforce the need for a range of urgent actions, including early intervention mental health support.

Incredibly competitive market

鈥淭he approach to address this crisis cannot be punitive 鈥� it must be reflective of the reality that young people want to work but the jobs market is incredibly competitive.

鈥淕oing further, we must recognise the importance of work having a point and a purpose. Young people increasingly see things such as home ownership, career stability, and having children as goals out of reach. So, those who are fortunate enough to land a job may still find it isn't enough to support them through the various life milestones that generations before them could expect to reach.

鈥淲e also know that dignified, meaningful and fairly-paid work can support good self-confidence and as sense of purpose for young people. However, young people must be well enough to work in the first place.

鈥淧revention and early intervention are vital. The Government must transform over-stretched mental health services that are under-serving young people 鈥� including investing in school based counselling, expanding mental health support teams in schools and hubs to include counselling, and giving extra financial support for university and college counselling services.

Factors damaging youth unemployment

鈥淭he Government must also take urgent and meaningful action on holistic factors damaging youth unemployment. These include companies cutting entry-level roles in favour of artificial intelligence (AI) and difficulties in sectors which traditionally offer young people their first taste of work, such as hospitality and retail.

鈥淩esolving some of these wider issues could be part of a successful support approach for young people, alongside therapy.鈥�

The review highlights that teachers and special education needs coordinators (SENCOs) can鈥檛 hold the mental health caseload in schools alone.

School, college and university counselling

We鈥檙e urging the government to expand its roll out of Mental Health Support Teams in schools in England to include clearly defined support pathways that include counselling and psychotherapy. This can address 聽the needs of children who are falling between the gaps in support between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and low-level interventions in school.

University and college counselling services are overstretched and filling a gap in mental health support, where young people are not able to access therapy from NHS services.

We鈥檙e calling for these services to receive further financial support from the government so they can give the best possible support to young people in need.

We鈥檒l continue to highlight these calls in briefings and meetings with MPs, partners and other organisations, and respond to consultations and proposals to stress the important role our members have in support better mental health for young people.

We're working in partnership with key campaign groups, such as the Fund the Hubs campaign and the Children and Young People鈥檚 Mental Health Coalition, to continue our drive for greater, sustainable investment in children and young people鈥檚 mental health support.

The full report, complete with recommendations, will be published in the Autumn.

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