Britain's true number of "hidden" NEETs (young people not in employment, education or training) could be far higher than official figures suggest, according to new analysis from the Children's Commissioner's office. It found that tens of thousands of 16- and 17-year-olds who are formally enrolled in college are attending less than half the time, meaning they are effectively disengaged from education but do not show up in official NEET statistics — undermining the accuracy of data underpinning Labour's efforts to tackle youth unemployment.

Dame Rachel de Souza's office obtained attendance data from 262 of England's 290 college groups, since further education attendance, unlike school attendance, is not routinely tracked by the Department for Education. This revealed 28,528 16- and 17-year-olds were "severely absent" in Spring 2026, missing at least half their expected sessions, which when extrapolated nationally points to an estimated 41,995 hidden NEETs. Alan Milburn, who is leading a government review of the NEETs crisis due after the Labour conference, along with the Conservatives and Reform UK, criticised the government's record, while the Children's Commissioner called for consistent attendance reporting, better mental health support and stronger links between education and employment; the Department for Education said it was introducing attendance monitoring in colleges.