The paper presents an analysis of the structure and composition of the social group of young people of 16–30 years of age outside education and employment. We show that the researchers’ and government agencies’ interest to the group of NEET-youth is on the rise due to its numerical growth in the developed countries and to the significant economic and social damage from nonparticipation in the labor force. The information base of the study is the results of the Russian monitoring of the economic situation and public health (RLMS-HSE). From the cases of young people, who are (1) searching for a job and (2) those not wishing to work, we identify differences in their employment preferences, work experience, status in the labor market and degree of life satisfaction. We also identify social factors of the differences arising not only from the place of living, but from the adopted patterns of ensuring their own well-being as well. It is shown that if the group of the unemployed is relatively homogenous, and the rural-urban differences are only due to the differentiation of the local labor markets, that of people not wishing to work is considerably differing in the city and the countryside. It is concluded that difference with regard to paid employment is a result of personal-motivational characteristics and individual life situations at certain stages of the life cycle.