A RECORD surge in jobless young women has pushed the number of under-25s out of work or education to almost a million, new figures show.
Some 948,000 youngsters were classed as not in employment, education or training between April and June – up from 923,000 in the first three months of the year.
AlamyShadow Chancellor Mel Stride tore into Labour over unemployment numbers[/caption]
That means 12.8 per cent of all 16–24-year-olds, or one in eight, are now out of work or study, according to the Office for National Statistics.
It also marks the sixth quarter in a row that the total has stayed above 900,000, underlining how stubborn the problem has become.
The rise was driven almost entirely by women, with female Neets climbing by 25,000 to 450,000 – the highest figure since 2016.
Meanwhile, the number of young men dipped slightly to 497,000.
It comes as Britain’s jobs market has slowed to a crawl, with higher taxes blamed for choking off vacancies and pushing the overall unemployment rate up to 4.7 per cent.
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride yesterday tore into Labour, saying: “It should come as no surprise that the numbers of young people not in work, education or training is rising under Labour.
“The Jobs Tax is hitting young workers the hardest, and Labour have utterly failed to reform welfare and get young people off benefits and into work.
“Young people need hope for the future – but at the moment all they see is fewer opportunities and an economy going in the wrong direction.”
The Government insisted it was taking action, announcing a £45million extension of its Youth Guarantee “trailblazer” scheme on the same day the ONS figures were released.
Eight pilot projects across England are testing new ways of identifying those most at risk of dropping out of education or work and matching them with local training or job placements.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the extra funding would ensure “no young person will be left behind”.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson added that the Youth Guarantee was part of wider reforms “to spread opportunity into all corners of the country” and give young people clearer routes into skilled work.
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