NEET YOUTH – THE CONCEPT’S PRESENCE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION’S YOUTH EMPLOYMENT POLICY AND WHY IT IS SO PROBLEMATIC

The article focuses on the introduction and usage of the so-called “NEET” (Neither in Employment nor in Education and Training) concept in the European Union. The term itself comes with several issues connected with its proper definition, or the negative connotations associated with it.

Since 2011, the group of young people from the age of 15 to 29 who are in NEET status has been the highest priority in the EU youth employment policy and was referred to in many of the Union’s policy documents, despite no research having been done on the NEET phenomena before the introduction of this concept; whether at the EU level, or in any of the Member States except for the United Kingdom (the UK), where it was used in reference to teenagers ranging in age from 16 to 18.

The main point of introducing the NEET concept in the Union is supposed to be drawing the attention of policymakers and European society to this particular group of young Europeans.

This article presents some negative issues connected with the concept’s usage, like: assuming the “normal” way of youth development to only be working, studying, or training, which applies some negative connotations associated with this term in a number of EU countries, oblivious of other groups in difficult positions, or associating NEETs with social exclusion.

Moreover, the article analyses the implementation in the Union of a flagship initiative to deal with the so called “NEET crisis” - the Youth Guarantee.

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