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Abstract

Recently, young people have faced more socio-economic challenges than previous generations worldwide (Aassve et al., 2013; Scarpetta et al., 2010). Ambiguity in the labor market, skills mismatches, poor health conditions, and education-related barriers continue to push more young people into precarious situations (Eurofound, 2012). In this sense, the concept of 'NEET,' which first appeared on the agenda of British policymakers in the 1990s, has helped many countries identify individuals in vulnerable circumstances (Furlong, 2006; Social Exclusion Unit, 1999). While NEET stands for 'not in education, employment, and training' and is used to assess youth vulnerability (Furlong, 2006, p. 554), its markers remain higher, especially among women worldwide. Recent data show an increase in the global NEET rate (21.8% in 2019; 23.3% in 2020), with young women being twice as likely to fall into the at-risk category compared to men (ILO, 2022). This paper offers a quantitative analysis of the main factors that increase the likelihood of women becoming NEET in Kazakhstan, based on secondary data from the Labour Force Survey covering 2012 to 2022. In Kazakhstan, the NEET rate for women has been twice as high as that for men. One in ten young women aged 15–28 is neither employed nor engaged in educational activities. Key factors increasing the likelihood of a woman becoming a NEET include possessing vocational education, being a young mother, living with a larger family, and residing in a rural area. The paper also discusses how the Labour Force Survey can be used as a policy tool to address the NEET issue in Kazakhstan.