Number of 'Neets' aged 19 to 24 hits a new high

Almost one million 16 to 24-year-olds don't have a job and aren't in training or education either, according to figures released yesterday.

They show there are 979,000 young people classified as "Neets" – not in employment, education or training. The figures, for the second quarter of 2011, are the highest for this time of year for five years – and 107,000 higher than for the same period last year.

The Prince's Trust youth charity said it was "deeply concerned" numbers were rising again. "Unemployment can have a brutal impact on young people, with thousands suffering from mental-health problems, self-loathing and panic attacks," said a spokesman. The figures are worst for 19 to 24-year-olds. For 16 to 18-year-olds there is a slight drop but almost one in 10 (around 186,000) are Neets.

Truancy figures published yesterday showed a drop from 1.1 per cent in 2010 to 1 per cent of half days missed – or 65,000 pupils – because of unauthorised absence from school. Ministers called the figures "too high".