British Employers Hire 27 Young Non-EU Migrants Per Young Brit
British employers hired 27 young non-EU migrants for every young British worker between 2020 and 2025, contributing to nearly one million young Britons now classified as not in education, employment or training.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) examined payroll data from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and uncovered a staggering displacement of native youth workers, according to Brussels Signal. Non-EU nationals under 25 years old in employment jumped from 81,500 in January 2020 to 370,900 by December 2025. That represents an increase of 289,400 workers, or more than 355 per cent.
During that same five-year window, the number of UK nationals under 25 on payrolls rose by only 11,000.
The data becomes even more striking when examining the most recent year alone. Between December 2024 and December 2025, non-EU workers under 25 increased by 33,200, while British workers in the same age bracket fell by 32,200.
Nearly one million young Britons aged 16 to 24 are now classified as NEET, meaning Not in Education, Employment or Training. The figure stood at 957,000 at the end of 2025, representing an increase of almost 200,000 since 2020.
Government projections warn the NEET total could surge to 1.25 million within five years. The economic damage could be severe, with estimates suggesting the crisis may cost taxpayers up to £125 billion, or €144 billion, annually in lost productivity and welfare spending.
The CSJ research identifies entry-level positions in hospitality, retail and other low-skilled sectors as the primary battleground. These roles have traditionally served as launching pads for young British workers entering the labour market. Now they are increasingly filled by non-EU migrants, as Brussels Signal reports.
The findings have triggered renewed scrutiny of Britain’s post-Brexit immigration framework. Critics argue that record non-EU migration flows are directly pushing native youth out of starter jobs, while businesses choose foreign workers who are cheaper and more readily available.
Joe Shalam, policy director at the CSJ, called on the government to confront immigration’s role in the youth unemployment disaster. Starter roles are simply vanishing across the jobs market, Shalam stated, pointing to rising employer costs as an aggravating factor. He emphasized that protecting Britain from undercut labour represents an essential first step toward improving pay, conditions and training opportunities for British young people.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative MP who founded the CSJ in 2004, demanded bold action. He advocated ending what he described as the sickness benefit free-for-all, where young people are written off claiming depression or anxiety. Duncan Smith also called for clamping down on mass immigration and scrapping the university system in favor of an apprenticeship revolution, warning that failure risks losing an entire generation.
The CSJ study contributes to mounting evidence that Britain’s liberal posture toward non-EU migration since departing the European Union has undermined job prospects for its own youth population.
Business leaders have sounded alarms about the deepening crisis. The boss of retail chain Next is among those warning that youth unemployment for those aged 16 to 24 has climbed to its highest level in more than a decade. The rate now exceeds the EU average for the first time in a generation.
The Labour government faces escalating pressure to restrict low-skilled migration pathways and fulfill its promised Youth Guarantee, which would provide training placements and apprenticeships for young Britons.
Critics contend that the toxic combination of high migration, rising minimum wages and anemic economic growth is pricing British youngsters out of employment entirely. The result, they argue, is a genuine lost generation of native workers displaced in their own country.
With information from Brussels Signal
