NEET
A NEET, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", is a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training. The classification originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, and its use has spread, in varying degrees, to other countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, Serbia, Canada, and the United States. The NEET category includes the unemployed (individuals without a job and seeking one), as well as individuals outside the labour force (without a job and not seeking one). It is usually age-bounded to exclude people in old-age retirement.
This article is about the classification of people. For other uses, see Neet.
In the United Kingdom, the classification comprises people aged between 16 and 24 (some 16 and 17 year-olds are still of compulsory school age); the subgroup of NEETs aged 16–18 is frequently of particular focus. In Japan, the classification comprises people aged between 15 and 34 who are not employed, not engaged in housework, not enrolled in school or work-related training, and not seeking work.
A 2008 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said the unemployment and NEET rates for people aged 16–24 in the majority of OECD countries fell in the past decade, attributed to increased participation in education.[1]
NEET is to be distinguished from the newly coined NLFET rate ("Neither in the Labour Force nor in Education or Training") used in the 2013 report on Global Employment Trends for Youth by the International Labour Organization. NLFET is similar to NEET but excludes unemployed youth (who are part of the education force).
Australia[edit]
A 2016 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed that 580,000 young Australians (aged 15–29), or 11.8%, fall under the classification (for 2015).[27] The report also revealed that the number of NEETs has soared by 10,000 since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and now account for one in eight Australians between the ages of 15 and 29.[27]
Canada[edit]
Statistics Canada carried out the first comprehensive study into the state of NEETs in Canada in 2012. It was revealed that around 13% of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 29 fell into the category. Despite the percentage being the second lowest in the G7 nations the total number of young Canadians that were classified as NEETs currently stands at 904,000. The study also revealed that out of the total 904,000 NEETs, around 513,000 were not looking actively for jobs. The study also suggested that long-term unemployment was not necessarily due to wider disenchantment with the labour market but rather arose out of varying factors. The study also revealed that 82% of the young people not in the labour force actually want to be placed in long-term employment. The study classified the Canadian NEET population not to be "in a high risk, negative state".[28]
According to a Labour Force Survey by Statistics Canada, the proportion of NEETs in Canada rose to 24% in 2020, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.[29]
Iberia and Latin America[edit]
In Spain, Mexico, Argentina,[30] Chile, Peru[31] and Uruguay, the term "ni-ni" ("neither-nor") has become a popular equivalent of NEET. The term means 'ni estudia, ni trabaja' ("neither studies, nor works"). In Portuguese there is the equivalent term "nem-nem".[32]
The term has become a controversial topic in Mexico, where the government feels that people who might be considered NEET are more likely to choose to join the organizations involved in drug trafficking in order to sustain their economical and personal needs, than they are to get a job or study. Some states and organizations in Mexico are creating work programs and scholarships to keep the NEET population away from drug cartels.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the World Bank estimates one in five people ages 15–24 are ninis, 20 million in total, an increase of 2 million since 1992. The 2016 study notes that two thirds of nini are women, mostly due to early marriage, teenage pregnancies, or both. It is noted that the number of male ninis increased by 46% since 1992; males account for the entire increase of ninis in the region. Male ninis usually drop out of school to work low-paying jobs, and during periods of economic instability lose their jobs with little chance of returning to school.[33]
In Mexico, ninis statistically account for at least a quarter of increased homicides in high-crime areas during 2007-2012, but in lower-crime areas there is no association between ninis and crime. The World Bank noted that as of 2010 in Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of ninis is somewhat lower than the global average though much higher than in higher-income nations. Globally, of the 260 million ninis counted in 2010 by the World Bank, the Middle East, North African and South Asian regions had the highest shares.[33]
European Union[edit]
In 1995,[35] the Leonardo da Vinci programme supported transnational mobility, skills and employability.[36] The programme was renewed until 2013.
In 2021,[35][37] the European Commission launched the ALMA ("Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve") social inclusion initiative to facilitate the move from NEET status to education and employment.[38][39] ALMA provides bespoke training for adults under 30 in their own country,[40] and opportunities for training and mentoring in another EU country, for 2 to 6 months.[41][42] It is operated along with the EURES network,[43] and with the cooperation of businesses, youth organisations and training centres.[44] The scheme began as a German government initiative (Integration durch Ausbildung (IdA)) in 2008.[45]
