Back to news listing The long-term effects of youth unemployment
New findings from BCS70 have shown that being out of work and education between ages 16 and 24 can have long term consequences for people’s employment and health.
What we asked you
A team of researchers at UCL analysed information you’ve shared from age 16 onwards, about your education, training and work histories. Using data from the latest BCS70 survey, the Life in Your Early 50s Survey, they explored the impacts of being NEET (not in employment, education or training) in early adulthood on people’s lives later on.
What the research found
The researchers found that study members who spent longer periods not in employment, education or training (NEET) between ages 16 and 24 were more likely to be out of work in their early 50s. They were also more likely to have financial difficulties, and to report poorer physical and mental health.
Almost a third (30%) of men and two fifths (40%) of women of your generation experienced at least one episode of being NEET lasting one month or longer between ages 16 and 24. A fifth (21%) of men and women had spent up to two years NEET over this period, and 1% of men and 2% of women had never worked during this period.
The researchers found that those who were out of work, education or training for the whole eight-year period were much more likely to be unemployed or not working at age 51 than those who were always in work or education during early adulthood (11.5% v 64.5%). They were also three times more likely to report poor health (19% v 65%) and twice as likely to report higher levels of psychological distress in midlife (16% v 46.5%).
But shorter periods out of work or education made a difference too. For example, men who spent two to three years out of work, education or training between ages 16 and 24 were more likely to be unemployed or not working again at age 51 than those who were always in work or education (8% v 27%). They were also more likely to report financial difficulties (17% v 36%), poorer health (19% v 35%), and higher levels of psychological distress (12% v 25%) later in midlife.
Why this research matters
Co-author, Dr Alina Pelikh (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies) said: “Our new findings suggest that early disengagement from education and work has a long-term scarring effect on people’s employment and finances. Rather than being a temporary disruption, it can lead to sustained labour market detachment, with knock-on effects on people’s physical and mental health.”
Dr Pelikh explained that these new findings are “particularly concerning” given recent evidence that the share of young people today who are reaching their mid-20s without any work experience is increasing. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently revealed that of the one million 16-24-year-olds in Britain who are currently NEET, 550,000 have never had a job.
She added “our results suggest that the long-term consequences for more recently born generations who are NEET may be at least as severe – and potentially more severe – than those observed in this study, reinforcing the policy relevance of these findings.”
Read the full research report
Long-term consequences of being NEET in early adulthood: initial findings from the 1970 British Cohort Study at Age 51, by Alina Pelikh, Sam Parsons, and Claire Crawford was published by UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies in April 2026.
In the media
These findings were reported in the Big Issue and on BBC Radio 4’s programme Money Box.
BBC Radio 4 – Money Box (Listen to the episode on BBC Sounds)
Children and Young People Now – Study charts long-term negative impact of youth inactivity
