The Equalise Work and Place themes responded to a call for evidence from the Department for Works and Pensions on Young people and work on 26th January 2026.
Summary
- Motivation is rarely the issue: NEET young people are often motivated but held back by low confidence, pessimism, and poor recognition of their skills.
- Mental health is a central barrier: Mental ill-health typically precedes NEET status and significantly reduces sustained participation, especially when combined with caring responsibilities.
- Early disadvantage matters most: low educational attainment, school exclusion, and poor early school readiness strongly predict later disengagement.
- Barriers are cumulative across the lifecourse: disadvantage builds from childhood through adolescence, making prevention more effective than later intervention.
- Place shapes opportunity: weak local labour markets, rurality, and neighbourhood deprivation limit access to stable entry-level jobs, sustaining non-participation.
- Effective responses must be holistic and place-based: support should integrate mental health, confidence-building and skills with locally tailored employment opportunities.
The response was prepared by the Equalise Work and Place themes with contributions from:
- Niamh Bridson-Hubbard, Research Assistant
- Katie Taylor, Research Assistant
- Audrey Tan, Impact Manager
We would be pleased to speak further about our response. Please contact Niamh Bridson-Hubbard (niamh.bridson@ucl.ac.uk) or Katie Taylor (katie.s.taylor@ucl.ac.uk).