Investing in young people is imperative

The level of commitment to supporting lockdown across Scotland has been admirable.

Businesses have closed, parents are home schooling and people have been isolated from their loved ones for weeks all in an effort to protect public health and support our NHS. We are seeing tentative signs of the virus being suppressed, enough for there to be some relaxing of the rules.

As well as a health crisis, the coronavirus pandemic is also creating an economic crisis. The impact of the shutdown of economic activity will be significant, and for some sectors, long lasting. The announcements of redundancies within the aviation sector as alarming and other sectors are facing extremely difficult conditions. A trimmed back furlough scheme over the summer might not be enough to support employment. Businesses need to put their workforce before their shareholders, and do all they can to retain jobs and contribute to the national effort.

However, I do not underestimate how difficult it is for many to survive this period and beyond, and we need continued Government intervention to bolster the economy.

I grew up in what was once a thriving mining village. By the time I was at high school, the aftermath of the 1984-85 miners’strike combined with increasing level of youth unemployment, did not give much hope to my generation. Opportunities were limited and too many young people did not fulfil their potential, didn’t enter a profession or gain a trade, and were assigned to the scrap heap. This was the consequence of a changing economy which exacerbated inequality and had a huge economic drain on many communities as traditional industry, and the jobs that came with it, declined.

The more recent global financial crisis caused by the collapse of the banks, led to a period of austerity in the UK. A failed policy which punished the poorest and weakest in society with an attack on social welfare and cuts to local services, saw a growth in the gig economy and zero hours contracts leaving workers vulnerable and without social protection.

Turning to the present day, as businesses closed almost 10 weeks ago, the fragility of our economy became self-evident as, while the UK Government introduced welcome schemes for the employed and self-employed, too many people fell through the gaps as their employment arrangements were too casual or complex.

As we begin to ease lockdown measures, and slowly re-open our economy, we must ensure that no one is left behind. The first few month of 2020 have shown an increase of 16,000 people on the unemployment register in Scotland.We have 188,000 people claiming unemployment benefit across Scotland, and we can see the increasing demand for food banks as more people experience food insecurity. I have been contacted by constituents who have never used the benefits system before, never thought they would need support to get food or pay their energy bills.

A report from the Resolution Foundation found that school leavers could be worse hit by the economic impact of the coronavirus. Areas where young people often find their first jobs, or have jobs to supplement their income while studying, such as bars, restaurants and retail are badly affected. Apprenticeship opportunities could drop as businesses contract, and the financial impact of the crisis on colleges and universities could limit education options.

We need to see a package of support for young people to ensure this crisis does not have a lasting impact on their lives, and a new job guarantee scheme, with the Government investing in young people’s futures, would be a good place to start.

We must ensure no one is left behind