You may or may not have heard the term NEET before, standing for Not in Employment, Education, or Training. It describes a wide group of people that could be made up of young carers, people with severe medical conditions, or even people on gap years, as well as many other circumstances. We spoke to some Nottingham folks who have found themselves in these kinds of situations.
NEET is an acronym that has been getting more and more attention in recent years. Since 2002 other countries in Europe have decreased their rates of NEET people by 25%, whereas the UK lags behind with a reduction rate of 19%. And with Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, saying that “economic inactivity is holding Britain back,” it's a significant concern for the Government.
But what leads to people becoming NEET? If you’ve swallowed a copy of the Daily Mail you might be thinking woke, workshy, snowflake layabouts. If you’re of another persuasion you might think about successive Governments praying at the altar of austerity and the impact that has on society. To reveal my own bias, I’m not on the Daily Mail end of the spectrum, but I do wonder how people end up being NEET and how they navigate their situations
So I got in touch with a few people who have experience of being NEET in Nottingham to hear their stories (pseudonyms have been used to protect their privacy).
“I was NEET in Nottingham during 2023,” Elly tells me. “I had lost two office jobs within the space of a year due to extreme anxiety. At the time, it was very difficult for me to find a job, as the Jobcentre would push for me to apply to any job, including customer-facing roles that were of course not suitable for someone having panic attacks every day.”
One of the biggest contributors to becoming NEET is poor mental health. A survey by Youth Futures Foundation found that one third of young people who are NEET had a mental health condition, with nearly 90% believing their condition affects their ability to find work or function in a work environment.
“The Jobcentre didn’t seem to really understand the gravity of my mental state, and that for the time being I couldn’t make searching for work a priority,” Elly explains. “Taking the time off work really helped me manage my mental health. It was slow, for a time my daily goals just consisted of the very basics, like getting up, brushing my teeth, going for a twenty minute walk down the Embankment. But slowly I got better and better.”
It's a common theme from talking to people who have been NEET and have used the Jobcentre - there is a focus on filling job applications and securing interviews, even if the real barrier that someone is facing is their mental health or other conditions.
Harry, who also suffers from mental health issues, had similar experiences with the Jobcentre: “the meetings every two weeks consist of barely anything more than a question of ‘am I finding jobs to apply to?’, and ‘have I had any interviews?’, and maybe a follow up question or two,” Harry explains. “Either way, not one of my meetings has lasted longer than five minutes.”
Harry wasn’t the only person to mention the in-and-out nature of Jobcentre appointments: "Jobcentre absolutely offers no help at all, or consideration for my disability,” Charlie tells me. “The meetings there would last about five minutes, just a check box.”
It’s better for everyone, companies, coworkers, if someone joins a job having taken six months off to work on their mental health, than someone struggling, joining job after job but struggling to deliver and keep the jobs because they’re not in a good mental state
It might seem unfair to criticise the Jobcentre for their handling of mental health, after all they are not a mental health service. But what is difficult to excuse is the Jobcentre’s lack of signposting for external support services.
“The Jobcentre didn’t make me aware of any services,” Elly shares. “In fact, I didn’t even realise how many support services existed until I volunteered at a food bank last year. The food bank has volunteers sit with people and go through all of the available services, they often have a mental health advisor there as well. I don’t know why the Jobcentre doesn’t operate in the same way. It very much just seems to be a ‘let’s get you a job ASAP’ mentality.”
For people between 16 and 34 years old, rates of mental health conditions have increased from 3% in 2009 to 13.5% in 2021 according to the Health Foundation. A staggering increase that is set to put more pressure on our work, education, and health systems. For people who are NEET this is especially alarming as there is a clear disconnect between the support services that are trying to help people get back into work and actually understanding why people are out of work.
For Elly there has been light at the end of the tunnel. “I now actually work as a hotel receptionist and I’m the most social that I’ve ever been. The social aspect of my job actually helps my mental health now, which is a concept that would have been totally foreign to me in 2023. But I definitely needed that time off work to be able to get to this point.”
“I think the majority of people with mental health issues don’t want to be NEET, but there needs to be more understanding that tackling a mental illness takes time, and sometimes can’t be done alongside work. It’s better for everyone, companies, coworkers, if someone joins a job having taken six months off to work on their mental health, than someone struggling, joining job after job but struggling to deliver and keep them because they’re not in a good mental state.”
I asked Elly and Charlie if they had any advice for people who are currently NEET. “If I could give advice to anyone it would be to prioritise your mental health and never feel ashamed for having to take time away from work to get better,” says Elly.
“Search for whatever free or funded courses or schemes are available in your area,” Charlie adds. “Even if it may not be your interest or passion, it could lead to a job, also have a look for volunteer opportunities, if there are none then cold email some businesses offering to volunteer. Most are happy to accommodate. And do free online courses! Lastly, access free counselling via the NHS to look after your mental health.”
For dedicated employment support in Nottingham, there is FuturesAdvice.org who provide help for all people, plus InspireAndAchieve.co.uk and ThinkForward.org.uk who specialise in helping young people.
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