By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA

The number of young people in the European Union age 15-24 neither employed not in education/training -- the NEET rate -- this January-March came in at 10.6 percent, Eurostat said Thursday.

The last time the EU NEET rate showed 10.6 percent was in 2008, and since has surged, peaking in 2012 at 13.2 percent.

In Turkey, the rate slipped 4.5 percent year-on year to 23.3 percent in the first quarter, compared to 24.4 percent for the same period in 2017.

Among EU countries, the lowest NEET rate for the first quarter of the year was in the Netherlands (4.1 percent), followed with the Czech Republic (5.7 percent) and Sweden (6.2 percent), while the highest rates were seen in Italy (19.1 percent), Greek Cyprus (15.6 percent), and Bulgaria (15.0 percent).

The indicator for the EA stood at 10.8 percent in Q1 in 2018, versus 11 percent for the same period last year, the EU statistical office said.

"Young people who are neither in employment nor in education or training are at risk of becoming socially excluded – individuals with income below the poverty-line and lacking the skills to improve their economic situation," according to an OECD statement.