New evidence on the impact of Covid-19 lockout restrictions on youth has been revealed by official figures showing the sharpest quarterly increase in nearly a decade of 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the outlook for children under 25 was getting darker even before the new version of the virus forced the four UK nations to ban stricter activity in the new year.
The ONS reported that the number of those not in education, employment or training (known as “Neets”) rose by 39,000 to 797,000 in the last three months of 2020 – a time when the economy was opening up. in the summer going against.
The quarterly increase was at its highest since the third quarter of 2011 and was fixed among young men, the ONS said. The share of Neets rose 0.6 percentage points to 11.6% in the last three months of last year, the ONS added.
Young people tend to work in the most severe sectors of the pandemic, such as hospitality, leisure and tourism, and are more likely to lose their jobs than those in older age groups that’s all.
David Freeman, head of the labor and household market at the ONS, said: “After being so low in the last quarter, the number of Neets has now seen the biggest quarterly increase since the 2011 high. This follows the economic impact of the latest Covid-19 severe restrictions, and highs with other recent data showing that nearly three-fifths of the fall in workers since the outbreak began. in children under 25. ”
The ONS reported that approximately 44.3% of Neets were looking for, and available for work and therefore classified as unemployed.
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Norbert Morawetz, founder of Classof2020, an e-learning community platform last year to develop skills and work capability, said: “These latest figures show the devastating impact of pandemic on young people.
“These young people have generally seen whole sectors as first jobs closed, with fast-growing schemes and vacancies growing, often competing against the more experienced who are also unemployed.”
Lorna Carter-Blake, managing director of DA Training and Consultancy, a Hampshire-based business training center, He said: “The largest quarterly increase in Neets for a decade is a worrying development and should be seen by the government as a matter of urgency. ”