Chamber and committees

Question reference: S7W-01778

Asked by: Jenny Young, MSP for Central Scot and Lothians West, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: 21 July 2026
Current status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 August 2026

Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) 16- to 17-, (ii) 18- to 20-, (iii) 21- to 23- and (iv) 24-year-olds are classified as not being in employment, education or training (NEET).

Answer

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Population Survey (APS) is the main source for Labour Market Indicators for detailed characteristics. The ONS state there are concerns with the quality of the APS estimates for smaller groups of the population. Therefore, it is not possible to produce robust estimates of the number of people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training by age group from this source.

The Annual Participation Measure published by Skills Development Scotland provides estimates for 16 to 19 year olds not participating in education, employment or training by age.

In 2025, the SDS Annual Participation Measure estimates that:

2,152 people aged 16 to 17 in Scotland were not participating in education, employment, or training (1.8% of 16 to 17 year olds)
6,758 people aged 18 to 19 in Scotland were not participating in education, employment, or training (6.1% of 18 to 19 year olds)

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