Launching a new report today, Milburn revealed the number of young people who are NEET will rise from 1 in 8 to 1 in 6 young people within five years, representing 1.25m young lives. 

Milburn said: ‘Detachment is no longer temporary. For too many young people it is becoming permanent. We are at risk of a lost generation.'

The report says Britain's jobs boom of recent decades is largely passing young people by. It says entry level jobs have long been in sharp decline with 1.6m fewer low and medium skilled jobs in the economy, vacancies in hospitality halving in the last four years alone and Saturday jobs long in freefall. Apprenticeship starts among young people have also fallen by 35% over the last decade.    

Milburn added: ‘The first rung of the career ladder has thinned. For too many young people it is now simply out of reach. That places them in a hopeless Catch-22 where employers ask for work experience but the opportunities for young people to gain it have narrowed or gone.'

The review finds 84% of NEET young people surveyed want a job or training - yet the system is failing to help them get one. 

It exposes a fundamental imbalance in how public money is spent. In 2024/25, for every £1 spent on employment support for young people, around £25 was spent on benefits. 

Final recommendations for fundamental system reform will follow later this year. 

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Director of The NHS Alliance's Mental Health Network, Rebecca Gray, said: ‘NHS leaders are committed to building a more preventive healthcare system that ensures children and families get support as early as possible, preventing the need for more intensive clinical care later in their lives.

‘They will support changes across local government, education, health and employment to give children and young people the help they need as early as possible to thrive and be supported in school or work.'

‘The NHS is the largest employer in most towns and cities and recognises the importance of its own role as an anchor in local economies, on top of the vital services it provides.

‘This interim report offers a worrying diagnosis of the difficulties so many young people face. The NHS can and will be a big part of the solution.'

Sam Atwell, policy and research manager at The Health Foundation, said: ‘The Milburn review's final report this autumn must set out how earlier intervention and practical support can help prevent ill health from developing in the first place. Alongside this should be more active support for young people to get back into learning and employment, particularly those with health barriers. This will require co-ordinated action across government, as well as cooperation from schools and colleges, the health and welfare systems, and employers.'

Ranjan Singh, chief executive and co-founder of HealthHero, said: ‘If we're serious about Milburn's challenge, the answer isn't another piece of welfare reform working in isolation. It's the same trifecta we set out in response to the Mayfield review: employers, Government and providers building one clinically governed pathway, so that a 19-year-old starting their first job has the same access to early mental health support as someone at a FTSE 100. That's how you stop a generation drifting into benefits.'

Professor Neil Greenberg, president of The Society of Occupational Medicine, said: ‘Milburn's review is a vital wake-up call. Young people do not lack ambition; it's the system failing them. Expecting managers to navigate complex mental health or neurodevelopmental conditions without specialist healthcare-focused advice is unrealistic. Occupational health professionals are the missing link.'

Shazia Ejaz, Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) director of campaigns, called for recruiters and employers to work together to expand work experience offer for young people.

Ejaz also called for the Government to reverse the lower National Insurance contributions and take the Guaranteed Hours proposals off the table.

‘A good start would be breaking the silence of not responding to candidates when they apply for roles, Ejaz added. ‘Engaging with young work seekers is a strategic imperative that employers need to prioritise.'