Covid-19 brought Europe’s youth recovery to abrupt end

Covid-19 ended a six-year decline in youth unemployment, with young people more likely to find themselves unemployed and to report poor mental health than the rest of the population. Young people were hit particularly hard both economically and socially with the pandemic striking Europe as youth unemployment was returning to pre-economic crisis levels for the first time. Economic and well-being outcomes were directly impacted by shutdowns that accompanied the pandemic, with younger workers overrepresented in the sectors most impacted by pandemic restrictions.

These are findings from Eurofound’s new report on the Impact of Covid-19 on young people in the EU. The report explores the effects of the pandemic on young people, particularly in terms of their employment, well-being, and trust in institutions, and assesses the various policy measures introduced to alleviate these effects. It finds that, while governments responded quickly to the pandemic, and a wide range of measures was introduced to support young people, many measures were temporary, aimed at reducing immediate job loss and keeping young people in education, and more should be done to improve the situation of young people so that they are resilient to future shocks.

(WBJ)