The Youth Unemployment Crisis
More 16-24 year olds have dropped out of the UK workforce than any other age group
YOUTH unemployment has soared during the pandemic, but some groups have been more affected than others.
Overall unemployment rates among those aged 16 to 24 rose from 12.1% in January to March 2020 to 14.4% in October to December. Overall rates for all adults went up from 4.0% to 5.1% over the same period.
However, figures from the Office for National Statistics show that when it came to ethnicity, young Pakistanis saw the biggest rise in unemployment between the start and end of last year.
Between October and December 2020, 31.5% of young Pakistani people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed - more than double the 15.3% unemployed between January and March.
In comparison, the figure for young White people had increased only slightly, from 10.6% to 12.4%.
However, young Black people still had the highest rate of unemployment overall, with the rate rising from 25.3% to 41.6% between the start and end of the year.
Meanwhile, young adults with a degree or equivalent qualification appear to have been more affected than those with lower levels of education.
Between October and December, 12.8% of young people with a degree or equivalent were unemployed - up from 8.2% between January and March.
In comparison, the figure for those whose highest level of qualification was GCSE or equivalent rose much less steeply, from 15.7% to 18.6%.
Those with no qualifications at all remained the most likely to be unemployed overall, however, with the figure increasing from 24.5% to 33.1%.
For all groups, the increase in youth unemployment has been far more significant than the rise in unemployment seen in adults of all ages.
This is likely because young people are much more likely to be employed in the sectors that have been particularly affected by lockdown, such as accommodation and food services, and retail.
The figures come from the Labour Force Survey, and in some cases are based on a small sample size. They are therefore estimates only - but they do give an indication of how the issue is affecting different demographics.