'I visited UK's Neet capital where traumatised youngsters are begging for jobs'

'I visited UK's Neet capital where traumatised youngsters are begging for jobs' As an alarming new report sheds light on a 'lost generation' of jobseekers, young people in Huyton, Knowsley, rage against poor work prospects in an area which have kept them locked in a cycle of hopelessness The early summer drizzle provides a miserable backdrop to scenes of unemployed young people collecting their universal credit from a Job Centre surrounded by pound shops. Where once school leavers could look forward to moving into a job that would, with time, enable them to buy a house and start a family, young people in the UK are facing their bleakest ever future with almost one million people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) An alarming new report commissioned by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has revealed that one in 8 people fall into the NEET category, with 60 percent of those not actively looking for work. Six out of 10 NEETs have never had a job, up from four in 10 in 2005. It's not that young people are not qualified - according to the report, almost 30 percent of NEETs leave school with good GCSEs or equivalent, more than 21 percent have a Level 3 qualification and 15 percent have a degree. But still they are not finding jobs. This is a generation that has borne the brunt of years of austerity and lost crucial years of social development to the Covid pandemic. Now they're taking their first steps into adulthood against a backdrop of economic turmoil and a dwindling high street where the traditional Saturday job is hard to come by. The review warns that Britain is facing a 'lost generation', branding the declining situation a 'moral crisis'. Nowhere is this crisis more apparent than in Huyton, Knowsley, where young people are 40 per cent more likely to be NEET, earning the borough the dubious title of the 'NEET capital of the UK'. Local Government figures from the Department for Education (DfE) showed that in 2025, 5.7 percent of school leavers in Knowsley were NEET, compared with just one percent in the leafy London suburb of Ealing. The people of Knowsley, which covers Huyton, Kirkby and Prescot, have long faced employment difficulties, with a 2023 University of Liverpool report citing the legacy of deindustrialisation, low economic activity and deprivation as longstanding contributing factors. A ten-year plan is in place to revitalise the lacklustre centre, with a focus on restaurants and leisure. It's hoped this revamp will create decent, full-time jobs that might restore a glimmer of Huyton's boomtown glory days as a once-thriving market town. But for the NEETs of today, options are limited. Arriving in the town, The Mirror hears stories of young people who have spent up to four years trying - and failing - to find work. Knocked back for entry-level McDonald's jobs and facing fierce competition for work on supermarket tills, they say the only options lie further afield but without the money or means to travel, many are stuck. Terry, who did not wish his surname to be published, told how despite having earned an NVQ in retail and customer service, has held just two paid positions in his life - both temporary Christmas roles. Now 28, he said he's tried everywhere from B&M to the Card Factory, but to no avail, adding that he would work "nearly anywhere as long as it was a paid job". "My hope for the future is actually successfully getting a paying job. That's the main thing I'm clawing at to get," he said. A polite and articulate young man, Terry has rewritten his CV countless times. Nine times out of 10, he'll get a rejection email and has managed to land an interview "once or twice". He says he feels unsupported by the Job Centre, which he claims failed to help him understand the importance of a cover letter. He has even completed two work experience courses, which guaranteed a job interview at the end. But this was unfortunately no guarantee of a job placement, and Terry was left empty-handed on both occasions. Instead, for the past four years, Terry has volunteered at the Alder Hey Charity Shop in the town centre. He says that, if he weren't here, all he'd be doing is sitting in front of the computer, firing off endless applications into what feels like an abyss. Terry pondered: "I have done the application. I know the application is fine, I can do that. I've even got to job interviews, and I can do a job interview. What is this missing mystical ingredient that will get me hired? I don't know. The companies won't tell you because most of them don't give actual feedback." Sadly, Terry's story doesn't raise eyebrows in his hometown. Huyton's main shopping district, affectionately known as "the villie", has, like so many town centres in the UK, changed drastically in recent years. When the quaint village buildings were first bulldozed to make way for '60s-era shops, it seemed as though the town had entered a prosperous new era. But the footfall is not what it was in the ageing high street's '70s and '80s heyday, when the now vacant Indoor Market would ring with chatter. Nowadays, those looking for their weekly groceries head to the colossal two-storey ASDA in the retail park just across the way. Volunteering alongside Terry is his sister Amy, who says she's recently had to stop job hunting as the thankless process now makes her want to "vomit". The 31-year-old, who is currently studying for a course in mental health, says her own anxiety and depression, on top of her needs as a person with ADHD, mean she faces additional challenges. Amy, who attended college before entering the job market more than 10 years ago, shared: "I did have a job back in 2016, but it was constant panic attacks. Then they look at you like, 'Well, if we're going to have that, we don't want you'. And then it becomes a problem, then because no one wants to have me if I'm going to have a panic attack." According to the recent NEET report, the proportion of disabled young people classified as NEET, who cite mental health as their primary condition, has soared from 24.3 per cent in 2011 to 42.6 per cent in 2025. In line with this, there has also been "a significant increase in the number of young people with neurodevelopmental conditions who are NEET". Volunteering has helped Amy's confidence, but it's still not enough. While Amy says she's "tried and tried" to find a paid role, she's found herself competing against applicants with decades of experience. Interviews can be as far away as Manchester, a costly commute, while jobs in the local area are fiercely competitive. Amy's own boyfriend has been knocked back from entry-level McDonald's positions multiple times. She believes that work readiness should be taught at schools alongside history and algebra, quipping, "Henry VIII can't help you find a job". Sadly, it's a situation that older locals can struggle to comprehend. Amy's own dad, who was easily able to get a job straight out of school, finds his children's predicament "confusing". She said: "He was like, ' Come on, it's not hard, just apply', but they don't want you." At a local pub, the Mirror caught up with friends Nathan and Joe, both 22, who faced the gruelling task of finding work as 18-year-olds. Joe told us that, during his time on Universal Credit, most job offers were too far away. Nathan, who now works on the doors in Liverpool, told us: "I had to branch out elsewhere, there's not really anything in this area involved in this sort of work. You've got like ASDA and stuff like that, or shops, but you don't really hear much of them." One of the jobs offered to Joe was a 16-hour contract at Liverpool Airport. The wage wasn't enough to cover the commute which would have involved taking a taxi back. Nowadays, Joe drives, which makes things much easier, and he was fortunately able to secure a position at the warehouse where his dad works. Not everybody is so lucky. Locals say jobs in the area tend to be part-time, with little advancement potential. As a jobseeker, Joe was put forward for 16-hour Easter contracts but found skilled, full-time work rare. He noted: "It's not really any progression, not like something you could do for the rest of your life or you could build on". The Mirror also spoke with Liam Hanlon, managing director of Knowsley-based building restoration services firm, the Forshaw Group. Around seven years ago, the company jointly formed the Knowsley Employer Apprenticeship Partnership through the Knowsley Chamber of Commerce. The aim was to bring businesses together to "do something proactive to bridge the skills gap, provide employment for youngsters", with a focus on boosting social mobility. Although he's noticed improvements, Liam says "it's still not great". He'd like to see the Government reconsider the way funding is distributed. According to Liam, it costs a business £70,000 to bring an apprentice through their training programme, and much of that cost is borne by the company itself. This year, Liam says, marks the first time in his memory that companies aren't taking on any apprentices. This, he says, "speaks volumes of the challenge that we've got." Liam argued: "We don't need all these funding agencies, we don't need all of these colleges and training facilities. What we need is a link to meaningful jobs and support to provide those places. Employers don't get any money or nowhere near enough money for what it costs to provide that training." Meanwhile, dreary queues continue inside the large Job Centre overlooking the retail park where so many applications have been rejected. It's here where enthusiastic young people like Terry and Amy determinedly hold out hope that their efforts will pay off, allowing them to achieve the same ordinary dreams their parents once held. The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) told the Mirror: "We are bringing forward the biggest employment reforms in a generation, including to the Jobs and Careers Service, to create opportunity for people across the country. "Central to this is tackling youth unemployment, which is why we are creating one million opportunities through our £2.5 billion youth employment support, ensuring every young person can earn or learn. "Alongside this, Alan Milburn is investigating the barriers keeping young people out of work, and our skills reforms will reverse the decline in apprenticeships, giving businesses the trained workforce they need now and in the future." Do you have a story to share? Email me at [email protected]