NEET

NEET stands for Not in Education, Employment, or Training, and is used to describe a demographic group of young people who are not engaged in education, employment, or formal training. The term is widely used by governments and researchers to measure youth disengagement from the labor market and to monitor the effectiveness of education and employment policies.

Measurement and scope vary by country. NEET is usually defined for youth ages around 15 to 24 or 15 to 29, and includes individuals who are not enrolled in school, not employed, and not participating in formal training programs. Some definitions exclude those who are temporarily inactive or who participate in voluntary work, family work, or informal employment. The resulting NEET rate is sensitive to data sources and the specific eligibility criteria used.

Policy relevance: NEET indicators help identify groups at risk of long-term labor market disadvantage and guide interventions such as apprenticeships, wage subsidies, career counseling, and targeted training schemes. Critics argue that the concept can stigmatize young people or obscure the diversity of their circumstances, and that cross-country comparisons are hampered by inconsistent definitions and data collection.

Other usage: In India, NEET refers to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, the qualifying exam for admission to most medical and dental programs. This meaning is unrelated to the labor-market concept but is a common source of acronym confusion in global discussions.