Archive · 6 Jun 2025
Government to Track NEET Youth by Age for Targeted Skilling
Imagine the government wants to help young people who aren't in school or working.
They're called NEETs.
To help them better, the government will start asking a special question on a big survey to see how old these young people are.
This will help the government understand where the NEETs are and what skills they need so they can create the right training programs to help them get jobs and go back to school.
Starting in 2025, this information will be collected, helping India support its youth and improve the economy.
The government plans to track NEET youth by age in the labour survey.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) pushed for age-disaggregated NEET data.
New questions will be added to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
The survey will track training and education attendance for the 0–59 age group.
The reform aligns with SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth.
- Who
- The Indian government, specifically the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
- What
- The government is adding questions to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to track NEET youth by age for targeted skilling.
- When
- Starting July 2025.
- Where
- India, within the context of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
- Why
- To better identify and support NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) youth for smarter skilling policies and to align with SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth.
- NEET Acronym
- Not in Employment, Education or Training
- Survey Name
- Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)
- Ministry Initiating
- Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
- Survey Start Date
- July 2025
- Age Group Tracked
- 0–59
- Minister of State (MSDE)
- Jayant Chaudhary