Virus upends young lives

Covid-19 has wrecked the lives of people across ages especially youth in aspects of education, employment, mental health, and income. They are increasingly anxious about the shape of the future.

While the World Health Organisation evidence suggests that young people are less at risk of developing severe coronavirus symptoms than their elders, the former is more likely to face the brunt of the pandemic.

According to the United Nations, the closure of schools and universities has affected more than 1.5 billion children and youth worldwide and has significantly changed how they would live and learn during the pandemic.

In May, the International Labour Organization warned that economic fallout from the pandemic could "leave many young people behind", permanently excluding them from the job market. In its latest report, it estimates that more than one in six young people - roughly 17 percent - have lost their jobs since it began.

Not only that the pandemic has denied jobs for youths, but it also affected their employability in the medium and long term, since both technical and vocational education, as well as on-the-job training.

It is likely that many of these young people may not finish their studies, adding to the number of unskilled in the labour market, worsening the joblessness already existed before the crisis.

According to the OECD, the situation is likely to put the young generation on a much more volatile trajectory in finding and maintaining quality jobs and income. Being unemployed at a young age can have long-lasting “scarring effects” in terms of career paths and future earnings.

The pandemic is making this issue all the more acute for youngsters who have invested in higher education. They are finding it increasingly hard to find work, potentially affecting their future prospects.

The youths are the workforce and the citizens of tomorrow. Our economy depends to a large extent on what happens with them today. So all those involved including the governments, educational institutions, companies and the young people themselves need to take positive actions.