Most of the UK’s successful creative people were probably once a NEET – meaning someone under 25 who is not in education, employment or training. Tom Jones was famously revealed as workshy by his Jobcentre records before going on to become one of the most successful recording artists the UK has ever seen. Top pop star George Michael even rapped about his experience of unemployment early in his career. And he turned out all right. Mostly.
There are just under one million NEETs in the UK, but most of them don’t stay that way for long. Few make a perfectly seamless transition from education to work, so almost every 16-25 year old will have been a NEET at some point. Around 15% of NEETs are currently unable to work due to sickness or disability. Some of them will be in hospital. Many NEETs are mothers with very young children or babies. Others will be posh kids, dicking about on gap years or frittering away trust funds. Prince Harry was a NEET for a while. The term isn’t very helpful to describe an economic or social group. But it serves its real purpose, to smear the young as lazy or feckless...
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