Early analysis suggests that groups at particular risk in this recession are likely to be young people and the lowest paid, with women more adversely affected than men. Young people are particularly adversely affected by downturns and are likely to be significantly affected by this one too.
Young people also remain at significant risk of being outside any form of education, employment or training, with around one in six young people consistently neither in employment nor full-time education.
What is less clear at this point is whether unemployment will continue to rise steeply in the coming months, and how fast the recovery will be. However if the lockdown continues into the summer, then it is plausible that viable businesses will start to run out of cash reserves and loan options and we will see a ‘second wave’ of large scale job losses.
Ther report recommends that government brings together a ‘Cobra’ for jobs – to work together on designing, co-ordinating and mobilising this response, and convening a wide range of partners including government Departments and agencies, local government, sector bodies, trusts and foundations and key stakeholders.
In addition, the report recommends that local and national government work together to test a new, integrated Youth Employment and Skills Servicethat brings together youth employment, training, skills and welfaresupport in a single, integrated service.