A Brute Indicator for a NEET Case: Genesis and Evolution of a Problematic Concept and Results from an Alternative Indicator

Abstract

This article analyses the NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) concept and related indicators and its effects on both youth policies and the perception of young people. It is argued that a "weak version" of social exclusion is often used to explain the phenomenon. This leads both to defective policies (as a "victim blaming" approach tends to be developed instead of structural policies) and to the negative labelling of the NEET young people (as research and policies tend to focus on the individual's deficits and thus associate them with negative values). An alternative indicator is proposed, aimed at reducing the heterogeneity of the situations the concept includes and focus on the core NEET group. This restricted concept centres on those individuals who do not seem to have any objective impediment to study or work. Figures are calculated for the Spanish region of Catalonia and results show a lower proportion of people in a NEET situation; that the NEET rates for young people and adults are similar; that the phenomenon is not new; and confirm that it is related to the risk of social exclusion. These results reinforce the need for an approach which is more sensitive to inequalities to improve our understanding of the NEET population and to avoid the stigmatisation of individuals, generations and countries.

Un enfoque de estadística espacial para explorar la geodemografía de los ninis en la Zona Metropolitana de la Ciudad de México

“…Se les denominó estatus Zer0. Posteriormente se les nombró estatus A (Serracant, 2014) y en 1999 se acuñó el término NEET, acrónimo de not in employment, education or training (Mascherini, Salvatore, Meierkord y Jungblit, 2012). El rango de edad de este grupo se estableció de los 15 a los 24 años.…”

Being a NEET: Which way to go - case study on Romanian VET graduates

“…The concept "not in employment, education and training" is a relatively a new one, with its beginnings in the '80s in UK, aiming at that time to address the youth aged 16-18 that leave educational system and in the same time are excluded from the unemployment benefits system, thus being highly exposed to social exclusion (Furlong, 2006;Serracant, 2014). The concept was easily adopted by the European Commission and OECD (Eurofound, 2012;Serracant, 2014), while the age group was constantly extended and this way also the heterogeneity of the youth under scrutiny.…”

“…The concept was easily adopted by the European Commission and OECD (Eurofound, 2012;Serracant, 2014), while the age group was constantly extended and this way also the heterogeneity of the youth under scrutiny. Crises drastically affected the youth prospects on the labour market leading to high unemployment rates, longer periods of time spent in unemployment, fewer chances to find adequate employment and high inactivity and discouragement.…”

Neet Youth – The Concept’s Presence in the European Union’s Youth Employment Policy and Why It Is So Problematic

“…The YG was offered to NEETs registered, as well as the ones not registered, with employment services in their home countries 14 . By May 2014, all member states had submitted YG implementation plans and the implementation itself was supposed to begin as soon as 2014, however many countries needed to apply some additional reforms to their national labour market policies in order to implement the YG 15 .…”