“I don’t know if I’d call it support?”: Understanding the Intersectional Social Support Networks of NEET and Precariously Employed Young People in the UK and Australia

This article investigates the multifaceted nature of social support in the context of young people who are either precariously employed or classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) in the United Kingdom and Australia. Drawing on qualitative data from two distinct longitudinal studies conducted in England, Scotland, and Australia, this article critically examines the role of social support in shaping future educational and employment trajectories. While existing literature highlights the influence of familial, peer, and professional networks in facilitating such opportunities, this article provides a comparative analysis of how young people’s support networks are constructed, disrupted, and reshaped across different national contexts and intersectional identities. The findings reveal that social support for NEET and precariously employed youth is highly complex and often obscures the dynamic processes through which intersectional support networks are formed, sustained, or dissolved. Moreover, the data highlights the importance of recognising young people’s intersectional identities, including age, gender, cultural background, and sexual orientation - in understanding the effectiveness and limitations of social support. Finally, this article challenges conventional understandings of social support by interrogating its role in enabling or constraining opportunity structures for young people who are marginalised in education, employment, and training.