"Despite changing trends in post-compulsory education, a large proportion of students remain under the age of 24 and economically inactive. Inactivity among students is therefore associated with their particular life stage, and students represent a large number of potential future workers. The number of students in the UK increased by 40 per cent between 1993 and 2003. As a percentage of the working-age population, students increased from 11.6 per cent to 15.3 per cent. The number of inactive students also rose significantly over the last ten years, however the proportionately larger increase in overall student numbers over the same period saw the percentage that were inactive fall. Overall student inactivity stood at 38 per cent in 2003. Inactivity rates varied significantly between full and part-time students, and between students in different types of educational institutions and courses. This article also examines seasonal patterns, the impact of changes in maintenance funding on inactivity.The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides data on the characteristics of the inactive, including reasons why people are inactive. It therefore allows some insight into how likely students are to make the transition into work on completion of their studies. The article also looks at the types of jobs recent students go into.This is the last in a series of articles examining economic inactivity at different life stages."

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