In December 2025 Alan Milburn launched his investigation into the causes of record unemployment and inactivity among 16 to 24 year olds, and on 13 July 2026 he published an interim report. In his Foreword he notes “The NEET rate has barely crept below 10% in 25 years. What should have been treated as an urgent national crisis has been absorbed into the background noise of public life.” Among the findings in his report he notes “Over the past decade, the proportion who say they are NEET due to a work-limiting health condition has increased by 70% … This is now an interlocked health, disability and participation issue.”
The report is available here, on the Dept for Work and Pensions website.