The UK has one of the highest proportions of young people that are not in education, employment or training of any developed country, according to a report by an international organisation of industrialised states.
The report, published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), found that 14.5 per cent of 15-to 19-year-olds in the UK in 2007 were not in education, employment or training (Neet) – more than double the average for the countries studied. Only Turkey, Israel and Brazil had a higher level than the UK, according to the report.
The report also found that the proportion of 15-to 19-year-old Neets in the UK has increased since 2005, from 10.9 per cent in 2006 and 9.3 per cent in 2005.
Angel Gurría, OECD secretary-general and author of the report, stated: "Since it has become the norm in most OECD countries to complete upper secondary education, those who do not complete this level of education are much more likely to have difficulty finding employment when they enter the labour market."
It also found that young people who leave school at the minimum leaving age without a job are likely to spend a long time out of work. In most countries over half of low-qualified unemployed 25-to 34-year-olds are long-term unemployed.
Read the Education at a Glance 2009: OECD Indicators
here on the OECD website.