Youth unemployment at 16.4% in 2026: the experience trap facing Gen Z

Alastair Greener FPSA Generational communication expert, author and President of the PSA UK and Ireland 2026 Published 27 September 2026 · 6 min read

ONS figures published on 15 September 2026 put unemployment among 16 to 24 year olds at 16.4% in May to July 2026, up from 14.3% a year earlier, and 981,000 young people were NEET in April to June. Over six in ten NEET young people have never had a job, the government's Milburn review found. Employers, managers and parents can help most by opening fair routes to real experience and explaining the unwritten rules of work.

Unemployment among 16 to 24 year olds in the UK stood at 16.4% in May to July 2026, according to ONS figures published on 15 September 2026, up from 14.3% a year earlier. That is 751,000 young people, 109,000 more than the year before, the House of Commons Library's youth unemployment briefing shows.

Behind the numbers is what young people described to MPs as an "experience trap": entry-level jobs that ask for experience they cannot get without an entry-level job. Every 16 to 24 year old in 2026 belongs to Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, and the older generations around them are well placed to help.

How many young people are out of work in 2026?

The same Commons Library figures show the employment rate for 16 to 24 year olds falling to 50.7%, from 51.9% a year earlier. A second measure counts young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). In figures published on 27 August 2026, ONS estimated that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were NEET in April to June 2026, 13.0% of the age group and 30,000 more than a year earlier.

In January to March 2026 the NEET total passed 1 million, the first time since 2013, the Commons Library noted. ONS cautions that "some volatility remains in the LFS estimates" from its Labour Force Survey, so short-term changes need care. ONS scheduled its next releases for 20 October 2026 (unemployment) and 26 November 2026 (NEET).

16.4%of 16 to 24 year olds were unemployed in May to July 2026ONS, published 15 September 2026

981,000people aged 16 to 24 were NEET in April to June 2026ONS, published 27 August 2026

61.6%of NEET young people have never had a jobYoung people and work: interim report, May 2026

81%of Gen Z workers aged 18 to 27 want career advancementCommunication Habits and Preferences 2024

What is the experience trap?

The Work and Pensions Committee's report of 22 July 2026 on youth employment records that young participants described an "experience trap": "entry-level jobs demanded prior experience that the young people could not get without getting an entry-level job." Lack of work experience was "the single most-cited barrier to work amongst young people."

Alan Milburn's Young people and work interim report for the government, published on 28 May 2026, found that over six in ten (61.6%) NEET young people have never had a job, up from four in ten in 2005. It puts the employer's view plainly: "The safer hire is the older worker with experience. The young person with potential but no track record loses out." It adds that "Recruitment has become more remote, more automated and less human", with young people "screened by a portal, a test, a recorded interview or an algorithm".

One government response is the Jobs Guarantee, part of the Youth Guarantee: six months of paid work for 18 to 24 year olds who have been on Universal Credit for 18 months without earning or learning. It started in six areas in April 2026, and the Commons Library's Youth Guarantee briefing of July 2026 said it would reach the rest of Great Britain from November 2026.

Why do workplace communication skills matter so much?

The committee also heard that "Advice on practical workplace competencies (professional communication, writing emails, interview skills) was largely absent." These skills are often learned in a first job, by watching colleagues and being corrected, so the experience trap takes away the training as well as the pay. Charlotte Marshall, a higher education professional, discussed the step from education to work, including the emotional impact of job rejection, in Gen Z, graduates and getting ready for the real world.

In our 2024 survey, Communication Habits and Preferences 2024, 37% of Gen X send emails several times a day, against 10% of Gen Z. The conventions of work email, on tone and on who to copy in, are seldom written down.

Are young people less willing to work?

The figures are sometimes read as a verdict on young people's attitudes. Our survey points the other way, at least among young people already in work: 81% of Gen Z workers aged 18 to 27 want career advancement, against 20% of Baby Boomers and 33% of Gen X. Employers told Milburn's review of a gap between what the workplace demands from day one and what many young applicants are equipped to provide. The review puts that gap down to anxiety, inexperience and a system that may have given them qualifications without "the chance to learn how a workplace works".

Writing on LinkedIn in May 2026, after figures showed more than a million young people were NEET, Alastair welcomed coverage that recognised the challenges facing this generation instead of simply blaming young people as lazy or entitled. Understanding the context, he added, does not remove responsibility. It is the thinking behind his line that "we are framed by our generation, not defined by it".

What can employers, managers and parents do?

In a LinkedIn post in July 2026, Alastair called work experience "an investment in all of us" and added: "Employers must be ready for them too."

Open up work experience. Give each placement a real task and a named person to ask, and recruit through schools and colleges rather than friends and family. Alastair has warned that when pupils must find their own placements, those without family connections or professional networks may miss out, and Milburn heard in Newcastle that work experience, once embedded in school, "relies on who your parents know".

Hire for potential. If an entry-level advert asks for a year's experience, check whether the job needs it. Count part-time work, volunteering, caring and school projects, and ask candidates how they would tackle a task.

Explain the unwritten rules. In the first week, say the obvious out loud: how quickly to reply to an email, when to phone instead, who to copy in, how to ask for help. Our survey found 71% of Gen Z find it easier to communicate with people closer to their own age, against 36% of Baby Boomers and 39% of Gen X, so older colleagues in a multigenerational workplace may need to make the first move.

Talk about feedback early. Ask each new starter how often they want feedback and write the answer down. Patrick Quinton-Smith, a coach and early-careers specialist, discussed why relationships and trust from day one matter for retention in Gen Z at work, retention, engagement and the real cost of ignoring it.

At home, the first rung may look different from the one parents and grandparents climbed. Practise a recorded interview together, read a draft email before it goes, and offer your network to young people outside your own family too.

Frequently asked questions

What is the youth unemployment rate in the UK?

ONS figures published on 15 September 2026 put unemployment among 16 to 24 year olds at 16.4% in May to July 2026, up from 14.3% a year earlier: 751,000 young people. ONS says some volatility remains in its Labour Force Survey estimates. ONS scheduled its next release for 20 October 2026.

How many young people are NEET in the UK?

ONS estimated, in figures published on 27 August 2026, that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in April to June 2026, 13.0% of the age group. 393,000 were unemployed and 588,000 economically inactive, neither working nor looking for work.

What is the experience trap?

It is the term young people used with the Work and Pensions Committee for entry-level jobs that demand experience they cannot get without an entry-level job. The committee's July 2026 report found lack of work experience was the barrier young people cited most. The government's Milburn review found over six in ten NEET young people have never had a job.

How can employers help young people into their first job?

Recruit work experience placements through schools and colleges, so access does not depend on family contacts. Drop experience requirements from entry-level adverts where the job does not need them. In the first weeks, explain unwritten rules such as how to write a work email, and agree how often each new starter would like feedback.

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