The Covid-19 pandemic has perhaps not finished revealing its impacts on the economy and the standard of living of the populations. For the time being, among the direct negative effects of this calamity that can be identified are those affecting the labour market and particularly the employment of young people. We take up here some of the main conclusions of an international survey of the International Labour Organization-ILO (2020) dealing with the impacts of Covid-19 on youth employment.
Before the crisis, employment prospects were already quite difficult for young people. According to the ILO (2020), young people aged 15 to 24 were three times more likely to be unemployed than those aged 25 and over. With the arrival of the crisis, it is estimated that 17.4% of young people between 18 and 29 years old stopped working.
The consequences of the crisis on the youth labor market also extend to working hours, income and productivity. The working hours of young workers have been reduced by 23% during the crisis. The decrease in working hours has also led to a decrease in income. The worsening situation of young people is more evident in the private sector than in the public sector. Indeed, the decline in income affects 64% of young people in the private sector, and only 23% in the public sector. Moreover, the decline in labor productivity since the beginning of the crisis affects 61% of young people.
In view of all this, we recommend that special attention be paid to employment in general, and youth employment specifically, in order to contain the consequences on this rather vulnerable segment of the population.
Table : Employment Opportunities
Source : ILO, 2020
CJEA