The proportion of young people without a job or training place is increasing

In Germany, the proportion of young people who are without a job, education or training position is increasing. Last year, this applied to 10.0 percent of people between the ages of 20 and 24, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office. In the previous year it was 9.5 percent, in 2022 it was only 8.8 percent.

A high proportion of young people who are neither in education, training nor in employment poses numerous social risks such as unemployment, low participation, increasing crime or political frustration.

Looking for the reasons, the national education report from 2024 states that around a quarter of those affected are looking for work. Around 10 percent were about to start studying, training or getting a job. However, almost two thirds were not even available to the labor market. They often cited caring responsibilities and health problems as obstacles.

Real training guarantee required

A growing proportion of young people are no longer able to make the transition from school to training and from training to work, notes Bettina Kohlrausch from the trade union Hans Böckler Foundation. “For teenagers and young adults, this means an uncertain future perspective and a very bumpy career. For the German labor market it means that important skilled workers will be lost.” A real training guarantee could help.

In an international comparison, the so-called NEET rate (Not in Employment, Education or Training) in Germany is well below the EU average of 12.9 percent. However, there are significantly lower values ​​in the Netherlands (5.6 percent) as well as Sweden and the Czech Republic, each with a good seven percent. The rate is highest in Romania, with almost a quarter (22.8 percent) of neglected young people, followed by Bulgaria (17.3 percent) and France (16.2 percent).

Young women are more often left out

Young women are currently affected slightly more often at 10.5 percent than young men at 9.6 percent. In contrast to the European picture, in Germany there are fewer young people without training or employment in rural areas (7.9 percent) than in larger cities (10.6 percent).

“If every tenth young person is neither in education, training nor in work, something is going wrong,” says the chairwoman of the German Social Association, Michaela Engelmeier. Germany is desperately looking for skilled workers, but at the same time there are too many young people without training or jobs. She demands: “Instead of talking more and more about pressure and sanctions in job centers and employment agencies, the focus must be on support again, with good advice, qualifications and support when getting into work.”