Young people not in employment, education or training in the EU neighbourhood countries
The concept of NEETs refers to young people (15-29 or 15-24 years old) who currently do not have a job, do not participate in training or are not students. These young people are considered ‘at risk’ as they are jobless and/or inactive and lack access to learning opportunities. They also risk disengagement from the labour market and often from society in general.
Many ETF partner countries have paid little attention to the NEET phenomenon so far, focusing mainly on the problem of unemployed youth. However, as preliminary ETF analyses demonstrate, the focus on unemployed youth underestimates the extent of their potential vulnerability. Expanding the focus from unemployed youth to those not in employment, education or training can provide a better insight into the challenges that young people face and inform the development of policies that contribute to a better future for them and for their countries. This document presents the key findings on NEETS in the ETF partner countries.