There are currently 74 people under the age of 25 claiming Jobseeker's Allowance on the Isle of Man.

But Education, Sport and Culture Minister Daphne Caine insists youth unemployment is not a significant issue.

During this week's Tynwald sitting, Onchan MHK Julie Edge asked the Minister how many young people aged 16 to 25 were classed as NEETs - not in employment, education or training.

Mrs Caine said there were no exact figures for NEETs but confirmed the number claiming Jobseeker's Allowance.

She said: ‘The department does not routinely collect or hold comprehensive data on young people once they leave education.

‘As such, it does not maintain a live record of the number of individuals aged 16 to 25 who are not in employment, education or training.

‘However, the department sought advice from Statistics Isle of Man and was advised to contact the Social Security Division for support in answering this question.

‘The department was informed that currently 74 people under the age of 25 are claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, 35 of whom are aged 19 or under and 39 aged between 20 and 24.’

Ms Edge questioned why the department does not hold the data, arguing it would be important when considering apprenticeships and further training schemes.

Mrs Caine explained that the department holds detailed information on young people while they are enrolled in schools but, once they leave compulsory education, ‘data protection on the island precludes holding any information about young people's employment status’.

She added that destination data for Year 11 pupils is available, enabling the department to assess the effectiveness of careers services and education programmes.

She said the department works with the Department for Enterprise and Treasury through the Skills Board to help address skills shortages on the island.

Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper raised concerns about the lack of data held by the department responsible for vocational and training schemes.

He asked: ‘How can you measure the success of such schemes when you don't know how many people are being missed?’

Ms Edge also questioned how, without such data, the department could determine which courses were needed beyond compulsory education at UCM.

She said: ‘This data is really important and should have been discussed within the Skills Board.’

However, Mrs Caine said she could not recall NEETs being discussed as a specific group during her time on the board.

She said only a very small number of pupils were known to be unemployed when leaving school at 16.

She added: ‘In 2025 it was 1.7%, and 1.1% the previous year. We work with the Skills Board to identify skills gaps across the island and make courses available at UCM.

‘We don't want to inflate a picture that we have a lot of NEETs when that has not been an issue. But addressing skills shortages is a government priority.’

She said Skills Isle of Man is developing a one-stop-shop approach to help jobseekers ac