# UK Labour Market and Youth Employment

> **Key finding:** Since January 2020, **27 non-EU workers under 25** were added to UK payrolls for every additional young British employee. Non-EU under-25: +355%. UK under-25: +0.3%. **957,000 NEET**.

Sources: HMRC payroll data (CSJ analysis, May 2026), ONS NEET Bulletin (February 2026).

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## Under-25 Payroll Snapshots

| Date | Non-EU under 25 | Note |
|---|---|---|
| January 2020 | 82,000 | Baseline — pre-pandemic |
| December 2024 | 336,800 | Estimate based on Dec 2024–Dec 2025 change of +33,200 |
| December 2025 | 370,000 | Latest HMRC data |

## Change Jan 2020 – Dec 2025

| Group | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Non-EU under 25 | +288,000 | +355.0% |
| UK nationals under 25 | +11,000 | +0.3% |
| **Ratio** | **27:1** | — |

## Sector Breakdown

| Sector | Non-EU change | UK national change |
|---|---|---|
<br />
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|  | — | — |

## NEET Statistics (Not in Education, Employment or Training)

| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| NEET count (Oct–Dec 2025, age 16-24) | 957,000 |
| As % of 16-24 age group | 12.8% |

## Net Migration Trend

| Year | Net migration |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 185,000 |
| 2021 | 239,000 |
| 2022 | 745,000 |
| 2023 | 685,000 |
| 2024 | 331,000 |
| 2025 | 171,000 |

## Young Britons Emigrating

| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Source | Migration Observatory, Oxford University (2026) |
| Aged 20 29 Emigrated 2025 | 135000 |
| Aged 20 29 Emigrated 2018 | 93500 |
| Under 35 Emigrated Annual | 195000 |
| Pct Of All Uk Emigrants Under35 | 76 |

## Related Pages

- [Policy Timeline](https://www.deported.co.uk/policy-timeline/) | [policy-timeline.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/policy-timeline.md)
- [Sponsor Register](https://www.deported.co.uk/sponsored-workers/) | [sponsored-workers.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/sponsored-workers.md)

---

## All Pages

- [Returns & Deportation](https://www.deported.co.uk/returns/) | [returns.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/returns.md)
- [Foreign National Offenders](https://www.deported.co.uk/foreign-national-offenders/) | [foreign-national-offenders.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/foreign-national-offenders.md)
- [Why People Are Not Deported](https://www.deported.co.uk/not-deported/) | [not-deported.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/not-deported.md)
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- [Policy Timeline](https://www.deported.co.uk/policy-timeline/) | [policy-timeline.md](https://www.deported.co.uk/policy-timeline.md)
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