Alan Milburn’s youth inactivity review must tackle the “structural issues” contributing to the rise in young people not earning or learning, campaign groups have said. The call follows the publication of the latest ONS data shows 957,000 young people aged 16-24 were not in education, employment, or training in Q4 2025, up by 11,000 from Q3.

Sam Atwell of the Health Foundation highlights the need to address structural issues causing young people, particularly those with health challenges, to leave education early. Early school intervention and support for re-entry into learning and work are crucial.

Barry Fletcher, CEO of Youth Futures Foundation, called for “dedicated and coordinated action” to prevent “more young people falling further from the labour market”. “The government’s recent focus and investment to support more young people into work through the Youth Guarantee and apprenticeship reform is positive, but the stark figures continue to underline that more will be needed to meaningfully shift the dial for young people,” he said