More than eight million young people across the EU are formally categorised as NEETs – not in employment, education or training. Professor Mark Levels explained to Real Economy why this group is in a precarious situation and how the EU is responding.
In 2023, more than 11 per cent of 15 to 29-year-olds in the European Union were defined as NEETs. At an EU level, NEETs represent one of the most problematic and complex subgroups in the context of youth unemployment.
Young people often fall into this category when they have difficulty transitioning from school to work. The phenomenon is generally fuelled by low levels of education, job shortages as well as class, racial and gender inequalities.
The term was formally introduced in the UK in the late 1990s and was later adopted by most EU member states and further afield. The scale of the issue varies across the bloc; NEET numbers range from nearly 5 per cent in the Netherlands to more than 19 per cent in Romania.
The European Commission introduced indicators such as NEET rates in a bid to monitor the problem as higher NEET rates are often synonymous with high levels of poverty.
Brussels wants to reduce the overall NEET rate to 9 per cent by 2030 to enhance the labour economy and reverse skill shortages.
While the acronym is relatively straightforward, the lack of an internationally recognised definition combined with the social and economic inequalities that exist across the EU, make it difficult for EU lawmakers to find a solution that might be effective in every member state.
In an interview with Real Economy, Mark Levels, a quantitative sociologist and professor at Maastricht University, broke down why it is much easier for some NEETS to find a way out of this apparent rut than others and why social integration remains a major challenge.
Fanny Gauret, Euronews: What are the consequences of being classed as NEET for an individual and society?
Professor Mark Levels, Maastricht University: The status of NEET is related to a whole range of social problems. So NEETs are much more likely to be poor, much more likely to live a life of social exclusion, and much less likely to transition to the labour market later on. For society, the total cost in terms of missed labour productivity, the cost of social programs, and also the cost of trying to regulate crime and so forth, are huge. So they amount to about €142 billion a year.
Fanny Gauret, Euronews: Can having an experience living and working abroad lead to a lasting change?
Professor Mark Levels, Maastricht University: These types of experiences can signal that you can perform several things that might be very much in demand. So, they can work, but for the most vulnerable ones, the low-skilled ones here, they do not work. And that requires a completely different approach.
Fanny Gauret, Euronews: Are there any countries or policies that can serve as a model in your research?
Professor Mark Levels, Maastricht University: Germany has a very well-functioning vocational education system. We see here that the school-to-work transition actually works and works very well. The issue is that you cannot just take an education system from one country and implement it in another country. You have completely different cultural settings, that makes it kind of difficult to export.
Fanny Gauret, Euronews: What steps should governments and educational institutions take to help young people and NEETs transition from education to work?
Professor Mark Levels, Maastricht University: If there’s one thing that we know can predict a status as vulnerable as NEET, it’s early school leaving. So invest in your education system. Invest in keeping people on board. Invest in programs that teach children skills that are in demand in the labour market. And then, you reduce the chance that they become NEET, and then secondly, focus on the most vulnerable children, put them front and centre.
To watch Fanny Gauret’s full report, clickhere, or for more Real Economy episodes, check out the rest of theseries.
