Palma/Madrid.A key education report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has highlighted a startling leap in the number of young Spaniards who are neither working nor studying.
The OECD's Education at a Glance 2013' study, published this week, reveals that one in four Spaniards aged 1529 who have completed tertiary education, such as vocational training or the Bachillerato, are NEET - or neither employed nor in education or training.
The 24.4 percent of young Spaniards who find themselves in this position was much higher than the OECD average of 15 percent.
More worryingly, the 69 percent jump in Spanish NEETs between 2008 and 2011 was also considerably sharper than the 24 percent increase seen across the OECD as a whole.
NEETs are known in Spain as ni-nis' (ni estudian ni trabajan , or neither working, nor studying') and have been described as a lost generation', who have failed to find opportunities because of Spain's economic crisis.
The OECD report also noted that young Spaniards aged from 15 to 29 are expected to spend more time in education (6.4 years) than in employment (5 years).
This remains, however, shorter than the OECD average of 7.1 years.
The organization also highlighted Spain's relatively higher average periods of inactivity (1.1 years) and unemployment (2.5 years): the OECD average for unemployment is 2.4 years.
Spain joined Italy, Mexico, Portugal and Turkey as one of only five OECD countries where less than 60 percent of people aged 2564 have attained an upper-secondary or tertiary education.
The average across the OECD is 75 percent.
Although the report covers only the 20082011 period, Spain's rising unemployment rates were already evident.