Youth and COVID-19
Youth at Heart Forum highlights the devastating effect of the pandemic on youth
During the Youth at Heart Virtual Forum, organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ILO held a session on decent jobs for youth. “We know that every crisis penalizes young people, but this crisis will do so even more,” warned Sangheon Lee, Director of the ILO Employment Policy Department.
ILO estimates show that as a result of the pandemic, an equivalent of 495 million full-time jobs were lost during the second quarter of 2020, and there has been a massive increase in youth unemployment, particularly among young women.
“We have seen lower job quality for the young people who are in work, while the situation has been dismal for those entering the labour market. We are very concerned about the disruptions to learning that have occurred due to the pandemic,” said Lee.
For many students, particularly in developing countries, education remains inaccessible. The crisis has exposed the deep digital divides across the globe.
The ILO and its partners of the Global Initiative on decent jobs for youth have conducted a global survey on youth and COVID-19. Based on 12,000 responses received from young people across 112 countries, it documents the negative impacts of the crisis on young people’s education, employment, rights and mental well-being.
This crisis has taken away jobs: according to the survey, one in six young people have had to stop working since the pandemic began. It has also taken away education and training opportunities.
Many young people indicated that the ongoing pandemic causes anxiety and depression. There is a scarring effect and the ILO expects it will take a longer period to recover from the pandemic, compared to previous crises.
The ILO has held a series of consultations with young people from refugee communities in Kenya, Uganda and Jordan, who were already in a vulnerable situation before the crisis hit. These young people called for investments in employment, education, health and for the protection and respect of human rights.
The ILO works closely with the government of the Netherlands and others on the Prospects’ programme, which aims to improve the access of young refugees and their host communities to employment and livelihood opportunities.
In order to protect this generation of young people, large-scale targeted responses and strong countercyclical fiscal measures are urgently needed.
“We need to boost investment in education and training, so that young people will be ready when the job market is recruiting again,” the Director concluded.
ILO estimates show that as a result of the pandemic, an equivalent of 495 million full-time jobs were lost during the second quarter of 2020, and there has been a massive increase in youth unemployment, particularly among young women.
“We have seen lower job quality for the young people who are in work, while the situation has been dismal for those entering the labour market. We are very concerned about the disruptions to learning that have occurred due to the pandemic,” said Lee.
For many students, particularly in developing countries, education remains inaccessible. The crisis has exposed the deep digital divides across the globe.
The ILO and its partners of the Global Initiative on decent jobs for youth have conducted a global survey on youth and COVID-19. Based on 12,000 responses received from young people across 112 countries, it documents the negative impacts of the crisis on young people’s education, employment, rights and mental well-being.
This crisis has taken away jobs: according to the survey, one in six young people have had to stop working since the pandemic began. It has also taken away education and training opportunities.
Many young people indicated that the ongoing pandemic causes anxiety and depression. There is a scarring effect and the ILO expects it will take a longer period to recover from the pandemic, compared to previous crises.
The ILO has held a series of consultations with young people from refugee communities in Kenya, Uganda and Jordan, who were already in a vulnerable situation before the crisis hit. These young people called for investments in employment, education, health and for the protection and respect of human rights.
The ILO works closely with the government of the Netherlands and others on the Prospects’ programme, which aims to improve the access of young refugees and their host communities to employment and livelihood opportunities.
In order to protect this generation of young people, large-scale targeted responses and strong countercyclical fiscal measures are urgently needed.
“We need to boost investment in education and training, so that young people will be ready when the job market is recruiting again,” the Director concluded.