Youth employment
A better Europe for young people – How to avoid a ‘lockdown generation’?
23 June 2022
The European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC), Eurofound and the ILO jointly hosted a webinar which explored the challenges young people face in the aftermath of COVID-19 and in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. These events have an important effect on young people’s mental health.
“The pandemic stopped and reversed progress achieved in terms of youth employment,” explained Susana Puerto, Senior Youth Employment Specialist at the ILO. In April and May 2020, ILO and the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth conducted a Global Survey on Youth and COVID-19 among 12,000 persons. During this period, we saw the first disruptions in education and training, and one in eight students were left without any access to courses. 65% reported having learned less than before the pandemic. The ILO saw a vast disruption in employment as well. In terms of mental well-being, younger groups were more impacted by anxiety and depression than older age groups.
“Today, we find a trail of damage in youth labour markets,” said Ms Puerto. In some countries, it is subtle, in others, the triple shock on education, employment and mental well-being could become a protracted youth employment crisis. Between 2019 and 2020, 30 million jobs held by young people have disappeared. This has led to a reduction in the youth employment rate by 8.7%, which is much higher than for adults. Compared to young men, probably twice as many young women have lost their jobs.
A vast number of the young people who lost their job, also stopped looking for one. Today, over 280 million youth are not in employment, education nor training (NEET).
The youth employment challenge is also a challenge of work quality. Young workers have greater work insecurity. Unemployment, inactivity and insecure work could have a lasting scarring effect on young persons’ future career paths, unless these vulnerabilities are immediately addressed. The conflict in Ukraine and current inflation levels are adding to these vulnerabilities.
We need to boost the participation of young people in the labour market. Several sectors have employment opportunities, for example the care economy. Through boosting skills and by improving the working conditions in this sector, we can enhance the quality of jobs for young people. Similar opportunities can emerge from the green and digital economies, concluded the ILO expert.
“The pandemic stopped and reversed progress achieved in terms of youth employment,” explained Susana Puerto, Senior Youth Employment Specialist at the ILO. In April and May 2020, ILO and the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth conducted a Global Survey on Youth and COVID-19 among 12,000 persons. During this period, we saw the first disruptions in education and training, and one in eight students were left without any access to courses. 65% reported having learned less than before the pandemic. The ILO saw a vast disruption in employment as well. In terms of mental well-being, younger groups were more impacted by anxiety and depression than older age groups.
“Today, we find a trail of damage in youth labour markets,” said Ms Puerto. In some countries, it is subtle, in others, the triple shock on education, employment and mental well-being could become a protracted youth employment crisis. Between 2019 and 2020, 30 million jobs held by young people have disappeared. This has led to a reduction in the youth employment rate by 8.7%, which is much higher than for adults. Compared to young men, probably twice as many young women have lost their jobs.
A vast number of the young people who lost their job, also stopped looking for one. Today, over 280 million youth are not in employment, education nor training (NEET).
The youth employment challenge is also a challenge of work quality. Young workers have greater work insecurity. Unemployment, inactivity and insecure work could have a lasting scarring effect on young persons’ future career paths, unless these vulnerabilities are immediately addressed. The conflict in Ukraine and current inflation levels are adding to these vulnerabilities.
We need to boost the participation of young people in the labour market. Several sectors have employment opportunities, for example the care economy. Through boosting skills and by improving the working conditions in this sector, we can enhance the quality of jobs for young people. Similar opportunities can emerge from the green and digital economies, concluded the ILO expert.