Youth employment in the EU, the most affected by the economic impact of the pandemic

BRUSSELS, July 12 () –

Young Europeans have been more affected by the loss of employment derived from the economic impact of the pandemic and have had a harder time recovering from the situation compared to other age groups, according to the report Employment and Social Development in Europe 2022, published this Tuesday by the European Commission.

Among the reasons, the report points out the temporary nature of their contracts, the difficulty in finding the first job after training and highlights the need to promote social and employment policies to solve the challenges faced by this group time to access the labor market, especially given the deterioration of the socio-economic situation resulting from the war in Ukraine.

In addition, the study highlights that the gender gap extends up to this age, since young women who start working earn 7.2% less than their male colleagues and the difference widens with age. However, only 0.5% of this gap is due to educational or professional achievements or real work experiences.

“Many young people have a high level of education, digital skills and are actively interested in ecological problems”, underlined the Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, who added that they are elements that represent an opportunity in the framework of transitions digital and ecological.

The document shows that young people have problems finding jobs that match their skills and experience. Although the youth unemployment rate fell in 2021, it was 1% above 2019 levels. In addition, one in two young people has temporary contracts when in other age groups the proportion increases to one in ten.

In a further step, the report highlights that this age group has a more complex and volatile financial situation and consequently experienced more poverty than other age groups. In addition, they had more difficulty coping with everyday expenses such as paying rent or bills.

The difficulties faced by this group are conditioned by their education and socioeconomic background, thus young people with secondary education have 19% fewer chances of not working compared to those with no training.