The proportion of young people not in employment, education or training (Neet) has gone up in the last year, a British government report has revealed.

New figures show that the proportion of Neet 19- to 24-year-olds in England rose to 18.8 per cent in the last quarter of 2010, up 1.4 points from the same quarter in 2009.

A total of 777,000 19- to 24-year olds were classed as Neet at the end of 2010, up from 718,000 in the final quarter of 2009, the Department for Education said.

The latest data from the Labour Force Survey also revealed the proportion of Neet 16- to 18-year-olds went down to 8.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2010, a decrease of 0.7 points on the end of 2009.

The figures also showed that 15.6 per cent of people aged 16 to 24 are classified as Neet, up 0.8 points on the last quarter of 2009.

A government spokesman said: “The number of young people who are Neet is still too high.

“That is why we are committed to supporting all 16- and 17-year-olds to participate in education or training, and to raising the participation age to 18 by 2015.

“We will fund 75,000 more adult apprenticeship places than under the previous government’s plans. “From this summer our new Work Programme will provide personalised support and training to help unemployed young people into work.

“It is young people who bear the brunt in any recession or downturn, which is why we are so focused on tackling the deficit and promoting growth.”

The report comes at a time of public spending cuts and increasing unemployment among young people.

Figures published last week showed that 965,000 16- to 24-year-olds are unemployed, the highest number since records began in 1992. Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The government should hang their heads in shame over the gamble they are taking with the future generation.

“As the number of Neets rockets to 15.6 per cent, a growing number of vulnerable young people disappear from the system.

“Seventy per cent of students currently receiving the education maintenance allowance will be forced to drop out of college when it is removed. This will result in thousands more vulnerable young people at risk of falling into the Neet trap.