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Appendix 4: International Comparison of those Aged 15-19 1 and Not in Education and Training ( NEET)
1. International comparisons of the proportion NEET show that Scotland has one of the highest rates of NEET in the OECD. Chart 1 shows that only France and the Slovak Republic have higher rates of NEET than Scotland out of the countries shown; with the UK as a whole sitting 6th.
Chart 1 Percentage 15-19 year olds who are NEET, 2003
2. However the fact that Scotland has such a comparatively high level of NEET compared to other European countries does not completely reflect Scotland's position. Looking at the employment rate of 15-19 year olds shows that Scotland in fact has the highest proportion of 15-19 year olds in employment out of all the countries shown (Chart 2).
Chart 2 Percentage of 15 to19 year olds in Employment only, 2003
3. OECD data also shows that Scotland has one of the highest rates of unemployment amongst 15-19 year olds (lower than only the Slovak Republic) but has an average proportion of 15-19 year olds who are economically inactive and in fact has a lower proportion than the UK as a whole (Charts 3 & 4).
Chart 3 Percentage 15-19 year olds not in education and unemployed, 2003
Chart 4 Percentage 15-19 year olds not in education and inactive, 2003
4. The fact that unemployment appears to be more prevalent than inactivity amongst 15-19 year olds in Scotland suggests that the issue is not that 15-19 year olds are being 'forced' out of the labour market by ill health or caring responsibilities. This begs the question what is the defining difference between Scotland and other European countries? As shown in Chart 5, data on education participation can start to answer this question.
Chart 5 Percentage 15-19 year olds not in Education, 2003
5. Chart 5 shows that, at just under 70%, Scotland has a lower proportion of 15-19 year olds in education than any of the countries looked at. Scotland's low education participation amongst
15-19 year olds appears to contribute to both a high proportion of NEET amongst 15-19 year olds and also a high employment rate amongst 15-19 year olds. This suggests that 15-19 year olds in Scotland are not as engaged with education as other countries and therefore choose to leave education for employment (with a high proportion failing and becoming unemployed).
6. It should be noted, however, that the European countries that Scotland is compared to in these charts can have very different schooling systems including differing compulsory school attendance ages. The chart shows that those countries with a high compulsory education age have a high proportion of 15-19 year olds in education, as you would expect. However these are also the same countries with low NEET and particularly with low unemployment amongst 15-19 year olds.
Conclusion
7. These international comparisons have suggested that the reason Scotland has a high NEET proportion is because of issues around poor education participation for this age group.
1 Note that 15-19 year olds are used rather than 16-19 year olds as this is the European convention
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