Youth employment to be 'hardest hit' by coronavirus crisis
Nina Jacobs
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Youth employment will be hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, a charity has warned, as statistics show young people were four times more likely to be unemployed before the outbreak.
The Prince’s Trust said the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the period before social distancing measures were introduced in March paint a bleak picture for those aged 16 to 24.
The charity said the ONS data from December 2019 to February 2020 showed the unemployment rate for this age group was 11.8 per cent, four times higher than the rate for those aged 25 to 65 (2.9 per cent).
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Citing research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), published earlier this month, the charity said the nationwide lockdown imposed to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak would hit younger workers the hardest as they were nearly two and a half times more likely to work in a sector that had closed down.
The IFS research also showed that on the brink of the coronavirus crisis, sectors that shut down as a result of social distancing measures employed nearly a third (30 per cent) of all employees under the age of 25.
This was in comparison to one in eight (13 per cent) of workers aged 25 and over, the charity said.
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According to the ONS figures, the UK employment rate in the three months to February 2020 was estimated at a record high of 76.6 per cent, a slight increase from the previous quarter.
The charity said it was vital that government, employers and the voluntary sector work in partnership to help young people before the effects of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic “spiral out of control”.
Jonathan Townsend, UK chief executive of the Prince’s Trust, said: “The figures show that young people are four times as likely as the rest of the working age population to be unemployed, and that’s before we know the extent to which this emergency is driving up joblessness.
“Sadly, young people are already among the hardest hit in the jobs market, as they are significantly more likely to work in a sector that has shut down,” he said.
Townsend said only a collaborative effort could provide the support, skills and opportunities that young people would desperately need in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis.
The charity has set up a coronavirus support hub for young people aged 11 to 30 offering advice, guidance and resources.
We're still here for you, no matter what. Our youth support workers are available on live chat every day from 9am-9pm. Whether you're worried about your business, looking for some employment advice or want tips to develop your confidence - chat to us now: https://t.co/4cknHCGkaK pic.twitter.com/Xx1yr0235q
— PrincesTrust (@PrincesTrust) April 15, 2020
It follows the launch of its young people action plan outlining how its youth workers and volunteers are supporting children and young people throughout the Covid-19 outbreak.
