A sixth of the world’s young labour force has stopped working since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The Geneva-based United Nations (UN) body also found that the COVID-19 crisis is hurting young people’s chances of entering the labour market, as around 10 per cent of students expect that they will not be able to complete their current education.
Half said that their studies would be delayed.
“That leads us to be extremely concerned for the welfare of young people,” ILO director general Guy Ryder said in an online news conference.
He warned of a “lockdown generation” that could face lower wages and higher unemployment for years to come.
More than 11,000 respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 took part in the survey.
The ILO pointed out that global youth unemployment before the current crisis already stood at 13.6 per cent last year, above the level seen before the 2008 global financial crisis.
