Northern Ireland NEET Rate Rises to 11.6% in Q1 as 23,000 Young People Fall Outside Work or Study
Updated
Updated · economy-ni.gov.uk · May 28
Northern Ireland NEET Rate Rises to 11.6% in Q1 as 23,000 Young People Fall Outside Work or Study
1 articles · Updated · economy-ni.gov.uk · May 28
Summary
23,000 people aged 16 to 24 in Northern Ireland were not in education, employment or training in January to March 2026, equal to 11.6% of that age group.
The rate rose 1.9 percentage points from 9.7% in the previous quarter, while the estimated NEET count increased by 3,000 quarter on quarter and 4,000 from a year earlier.
18,000 of those classed as NEET were economically inactive rather than unemployed, meaning they were not looking for work and/or not available to start.
Male NEET rates were higher at 13.1%, compared with 9.9% for females, though NISRA said the quarterly and annual count changes were not statistically significant.
NISRA said the Labour Force Survey is sample-based and quarterly moves should be read against longer-term trends; the next NEET release is due in August 2026.