More than 120,000 young Britons have spent their entire adult lives on Universal Credit after first claiming the benefit at the age of 18, new figures show.
The findings have raised fresh questions about whether the welfare system is doing enough to help young people move into work and establish long-term careers.
Around 124,164 people aged 25 and under have received Universal Credit continuously since reaching adulthood, according to an analysis of official data by The Sun.
The figures come ahead of a major review by former Labour minister Alan Milburn, which is expected to urge ministers to overhaul the welfare system and help more young people into employment.
Official figures from February show that thousands of claimants have never come off the benefit during their adult lives.
Among those currently aged 25, some 8,813 have been receiving Universal Credit for seven consecutive years since turning 18.
All of those claimants are currently unemployed, while 6,645 are not required to look for work.
The data also points to a wider trend among younger age groups.
Over 120,000 Britons have spent their entire adult lives on Universal Credit
|
GETTYAround 17,600 people aged 21 have been claiming Universal Credit continuously for the past three years, while 14,800 22-year-olds have remained on the benefit for four years.
A further 15,886 people aged 23 have received support for five consecutive years.
These statistics paint a picture of young adults becoming entrenched in the welfare system from the moment they reach adulthood.
Mr Milburn’s review determines that a “catastrophic system failure” has left young Britons stuck in a cycle with little motivation to escape.
Universal Credit is the primary out-of-work benefit administered by the DWP | GETTY
The report will state: “For a young person with a health condition, the pathway to inactivity can offer higher income, less hassle and lower risk than trying to find work.”
His findings arrive as separate data shows that one million Britons between 16 and 24 are now classified as NEETs, meaning they are neither working, studying nor undertaking training.
This generation of economically inactive young people represents a significant challenge for policymakers seeking to boost workforce participation.
The Department for Work and Pensions said: “Universal Credit is available both in and out of work, so a claimant currently out of work, who has been on Universal Credit for several years, has not necessarily been out of work the entire time.
“We inherited a broken welfare system with the number of young people locked out of opportunity, work and education rising by 250,000 before summer 2024.
“Our youth employment support package, backed by £2.5 billion, will deliver nearly a million opportunities across the country, and we are rebalancing Universal Credit to tackle the perverse incentives that discourage work.””
Ministers pointed to their youth employment support package, backed by £2.5billion, which they say will create nearly a million opportunities nationwide while rebalancing Universal Credit to address “perverse incentives that discourage work.”