More than 1 in 6 young adults in the EU were not in education or work in 2020

More than one in six young adults in the European Union are not in employment, education or training (NEET), new figures show.

The share of NEET young people had been falling since 2013. But 2020 saw the figures go in the other direction. “This sudden change reflects the economic downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Young women disproportionately affected

In 2020, 17.6% of young adults aged 20 to 34 were classed as NEET. This is 1.2 percentage points more than in 2019, says Eurostat.

Young women are more likely to not be in education or employment.

In eight EU member states, the proportion of young female NEETs in 2020 was at least 10 percentage points higher than for young men.

The Czech Republic and the Netherlands had the lowest rate of young adults not in employment, education or training. Italy recorded the highest NEET rates for both men and women.

Jobs - a double disruption

The Eurostat data reflects the findings of the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2020.

This warns of a “double disruption” to jobs from the impact of COVID-19 and advances in technology.

By 2025, the report predicts that half of all employees will need reskilling as technology adoption changes the nature of jobs and work.

COVID-related lockdowns, job losses and recession are widening this skills gap.

“The pandemic has disproportionately impacted millions of low-skilled workers,” said Jeff Maggioncalda, chief executive of online learning specialist Coursera, one of the partners in the Future of Jobs Report.

He is calling for a “coordinated reskilling effort by institutions” to help people access learning and return to the workforce.

Helping Europe’s youth

The European Union supports a range of initiatives to reduce youth unemployment and help young people into work or training.

These include the Youth Guarantee, which has helped 24 million young people since it was introduced in 2013 and has been reinforced since the pandemic.

The Guarantee is a commitment by all EU member states that young people under the age of 30 receive a good-quality offer of employment, continued education or an apprenticeship or traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education.

In July 2020, the European Commission also strengthened its European Alliance for Apprenticeships, which aims to increase the quality, supply and overall image of apprenticeships across Europe.