The government is reviewing benefits for 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training, with possible cuts to disability payments to fund job support.
01Summary
- 01Nearly 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK are classified as Neet, around one in eight young people, with numbers forecast to rise to 1.25m by the early 2030s.
- 02Alan Milburn, leading the government-commissioned review, warns 45% of 24-year-old Neets have never had a job, risking a 'lost generation'.
- 03Disability benefit spending on 16- to 24-year-olds totals £800m a year on universal credit health and £3.2bn on personal independence payment (Pip).
- 04Possible changes include cutting universal credit health and Pip, though young people with complex and enduring disabilities will be exempt.
- 05Around a third of Neets are not claiming benefits, so any changes would not affect them directly.
02Why it matters
Benefit cuts could increase poverty and hardship among young people already on low incomes, making it harder for them to find work, while the political risk of a repeat of last year's rebellion on disability cuts looms.
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