The government has commissioned an independent investigation into rising numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). The , which will place a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disabilities, is hoped to tackle what work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden has warned is a 鈥渃risis of opportunity鈥�. It will be led by former social mobility commissioner Alan Milburn. Figures show that nearly one million young people, approximately one in eight young people aged 16 to 24, are currently NEET.聽 The government, which is trying to cut its 鈥渂allooning鈥� benefits bill, said that over a quarter of NEET young people now cite long-term sickness or disability as a barrier to participation, compared to just 12 per cent in 2013-14. The number of young people claiming universal credit (UC) health and employment support allowance has increased by more than 50 per cent in the last five years. Around 80 per cent of young people on the UC health element currently cite mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition among declared health conditions. The NEET review announcement comes days after new analysis from Sir Charlie Mayfield鈥檚 Keep Britain Working review also revealed a 76 per cent increase in economically inactive 16鈥�34 year-olds with mental health conditions since 2019. Additionally, the review found that being out of work at a young age can cost over 拢1 million in lost earnings over a lifetime. Raising participation age to 18 had ‘limited impact’, study suggests McFadden said: 鈥淭he rising number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) is a crisis of opportunity that demands more action to give them the chance to learn or earn. 鈥淲e cannot afford to lose a generation of young people to a life on benefits, with no work prospects and not enough hope.鈥� 鈥楿ncompromising in exposing failures鈥� Last month鈥檚 post-16 education and skills white paper contained a range of new measures designed to combat rising young NEET numbers, including auto-enrolling school-leavers on post-16 courses and tracking attendance of 16 to 19-year-olds. Milburn was health secretary from 1999 to 2003 and is a former chair of the social mobility commission. He was appointed last year as a non-executive director of the Department of Health and Social Care. His review will make 鈥減ractical recommendations to help young people with health conditions access work, training or education 鈥� ensuring they are supported to thrive, not sidelined,鈥� the government said. The report will not cover the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. It will 鈥渃omplement鈥� the Timms Review, which was launched in October to examine broader reforms to the disability benefits system, by 鈥渇ocusing specifically on the link between youth mental health, economic inactivity and benefit system鈥�. Milburn said: 鈥淲e cannot stand by and let a generation of young people be consigned to a life without employment or prospects. It鈥檚 clear urgent action is needed. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why with the help of a panel of expert advisors; I will aim to get to the bottom of why current efforts are not preventing young people from becoming trapped out of work and education. 鈥淭he review will be uncompromising in exposing failures in employment support, education, skills, health and welfare and will produce far-reaching recommendations for change to enhance opportunities for young people to learn and earn.鈥� Interim findings will be shared with the government in spring 2026, with the final report published in summer 2026.聽