A new report from the Resolution Foundation has thrown its weight behind the Dutch approach to youth unemployment, calling it a model for Britain as the country grapples with soaring numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). The think tank's analysis, published today, argues that the Netherlands’ focus on preventing ‘dead ends’ in education and training has kept youth joblessness significantly lower than in the UK. For a nation where one in eight 16-24 year olds are now NEET, the message is clear: we need to learn from the continent.
Under the Dutch system, young people who leave school without qualifications are not left to drift. They are given a personalised pathway, often combining work and study, with strong employer involvement. The report highlights that Dutch youth unemployment stands at just 8%, compared to 12% in the UK. But more importantly, it argues that the Dutch model reduces long-term scarring. In the UK, a young person who spends months out of work is far more likely to become trapped in low-paid, insecure work. The Dutch aim to stop that cycle before it starts.
Lottie Dexter, the Resolution Foundation’s youth unemployment lead, said: “The UK has a problem of dead ends. Young people can leave school, drift into a low-quality course, then find themselves in a job that leads nowhere. The Netherlands says no to that. Every young person gets a clear route to a qualification that employers actually want. It’s not rocket science, but it requires political will.”
The think tank is urging the government to adopt similar principles: better careers advice in schools, a more coherent apprenticeships system, and a guarantee that all under-25s who are out of work receive a tailored offer of training or employment within six months. The report also calls for a ‘youth guarantee’, a pledge that no young person will be left without a job, education or training place for more than four months.
Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, welcomed the report. “For too long, young people in places like Sunderland, Stoke and South Wales have been let down by a system that offers them nothing. The Dutch show us that with the right intervention, we can give every young person a future.”
But the real test will be in the Treasury. The Resolution Foundation estimates that implementing a full youth guarantee would cost around £1.5 billion a year, money it says would pay for itself in reduced welfare bills and higher tax receipts. With a general election on the horizon, both main parties are eyeing youth unemployment as a key battleground.
For the young people themselves, the message is urgent. In a job market where zero-hours contracts and gig work are rife, the security of a proper start in employment has never been more important. The Dutch model may not be a silver bullet, but as this report makes clear, it offers a lifeline to a generation that feels forgotten.
