The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on Young People
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised a weighted question that seems so impossibly vague at first that there may be no way to answer it. “Are you essential?”. The term “essential” has taken on a very specific definition during this crisis, referring to people whose jobs must continue during the crisis because their operation protects the livelihood of other humans. While most teenagers and young adults found themselves booted out of work when the pandemic hit, those with even a few more years of age fared better in the pandemic. Even as so many working youth were disrupted by the crisis, some had a completely different experience and were forced to step up and assume more working responsibilities than ever before.
While some felt the pangs of the global pandemic harder than others, young people experienced the virus in a unique and more complicated way. As unemployment statistics showed a peak of overall unemployment at 14.7% in April, experts estimated that youth unemployment was far greater, reaching record highs close to 30% (Inanc). The percentage spike of out-of-work teens is jarring, but does not tell the full story of all the intricacies that make up the youth labor market. S Individuals between ages 16-19 experienced unemployment levels above 30%, while unemployment levels of those aged 20-24 were only in the range of the mid 20%s (Inanc). This discrepancy exposes some of the fundamentals of how the youth labor market works, particularly how the nature of work for young people evolves over only a few years.
When a teenager enters the job market, their opportunities are severely limited by their lack of experience and time constraints due to school. Oftentimes, the only jobs available to them are those in retail and hospitality, often in the service industry. It was these sectors of the economy that were impacted most by COVID, where almost half of the youth population works (Inanc). Compounding this issue, most jobs could not be switched to remote work, and when businesses had to make tough decisions regarding their employees, it was the young people who were cut first. These factors explain why unemployment among younger youth skyrocketed; they experienced massive displacement when businesses had to cut hours or shut down, and their inexperience hurts their ability to find replacement work. Another idiosyncrasy of the youth labor market is that many teens work non-traditional jobs, like those done on an irregular basis, where an individual typically works for one individual rather than an established business. This type of job took a large blow due to Coronavirus as individuals did not want to shovel out any extra cash for dog-walking or babysitting. Health risks contributed to the shut down of this unconventional economy. These “gig” jobs provide very little or no job security, have no social safety nets if work falls through, and often do not qualify teens for unemployment benefits or other labor aid programs. The decks were already stacked against teens in the labor market to begin with, and COVID-19 delivered a crushing blow.
While younger youth faced extreme difficulties, older youth fared slightly better with the pandemic. It is common for college students to work internships rather than grunt work jobs, but even as the number of internships was slashed to almost half according to some estimates, those aged around 20-24 experienced a softer blow than their younger peers, with an unemployment rate several basis points lower. This discrepancy can be attributed to the different types of work this older group performs. While many still find themselves as check-out clerks and restaurant servers, older youth are more likely to get hired in more stable roles, such as internships. Although internships were severely hurt, many were able to function only slightly differently, if not as usual. The industries that were most impacted were industries dominated by low-skill work, and most internships focus themselves in higher-skilled industries. These sectors typically continued to function during the pandemic with many moving online, allowing young adults to take their internships with them (Kramer). Many older youth that have high school diplomas or some college education move into slightly higher-skilled jobs, ones that kept operating during COVID and didn’t displace their workers. This is not to say that older youth did not struggle with finding and keeping work during the pandemic; they still faced unemployment rates at record highs, significantly above the general population. But their added age and experience helped them weather the storm better than their younger peers.
An interesting effect of COVID-19 on the youth labor market is that some teens experienced a change in their working lives contrary to what the statistics show. For most, keeping their jobs or finding work became impossible, but others assumed full-time roles. In most cases, teens began working significantly more hours in grunt work jobs that had heightened demand during COVID, such as grocery store clerks. The new working life dynamic was necessary because parents and guardians fell ill due to coronavirus and lost their jobs. In a study by Junior Achievement, 46% of working teens reported that their earned income was needed for them or their families to pay for living expenses. When coronavirus diminished household incomes and left family members sick, kids stepped up for their families to provide income. Essential businesses like grocery stores and retailers felt enormous surges in demand, and young people met the need and worked nonstop. While this wasn’t the case for many teenagers, this subset became essential for businesses to meet the heightened needs of consumers.
There are long-term considerations to take into account regarding how coronavirus impacts the youth labor market. For one, studies have shown that when teens hold part-time jobs while they are students, these students end up performing better in the job market later on; they have higher earnings, fewer periods of unemployment, and overall more success in their careers (Mann). Therefore, the pandemic displacing work for many teens could hurt the performance of the future labor market. Teens could choose to forgo summer and part-time jobs because of coronavirus, ultimately altering young people’s goals and sense of purpose (Blustein). While it may seem trivial to worry about the changes to the youth labor market as a result of COVID-19 while still in the midst of the pandemic, these considerations are very important. Policymakers and world leaders need to consider how youth are impacted by the pandemic because young people will eventually make up the entire future labor force. As the old adage goes, “children are our future,” and they should not be neglected in the time of coronavirus simply because they are young.
Works Cited
Blustein, David L et al. “Unemployment in the time of COVID-19: A research agenda.” Journal of vocational behavior vol. 119 (2020): 103436. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103436
Kramer, Amit, and Karen Z. Kramer. "The potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on occupational status, work from home, and occupational mobility." (2020): 103442.
Inanc, H. “Breaking down the numbers: What does COVID-19 mean for youth unemployment?” Cambridge, MA: Mathematica, June 2020.
Mann, Anthony, Vanessa Denis, and Andr Schleicher. "Dream jobs?: Teenagers' Career Aspirations and the Future of Work." (2020).
