‘Bleak future for region’s under-30s’

Calls to aid young people in virus crisis

YOUNG PEOPLE in Yorkshire are facing the bleakest economic future for generations amid the coronavirus pandemic as figures reveal a crisis of despair among the under-30s.

An “alarming proportion” of young people are fearing for their futures and will have to make “unprecedented choices”, amid growing calls for the Government to step in and help. Against a backdrop of crippling mental health issues, a housing crisis and a looming recession brought on by the pandemic, six out of 10 young people in Yorkshire do not feel in control of their lives.

The figures, from The Prince’s Trust, also showed more than half of 16 to 24-year-olds in the region think finding a job now seems impossible and 72 per cent feel like their life is on hold.

Rachael Ronchetti, the north senior head of operations at the trust, said the figures “paint a truly stark picture of how the coronavirus crisis is impacting young people across Yorkshire”.

She added “an alarming proportion” of young people are feeling increased levels of anxiety, and “fears are mounting about their future”.

She said: “It’s imperative that we do all we can now to prevent a generation of young people from losing hope.”

She stressed that the Government, employers and charities needed to work together now to stop the economic effects of the pandemic from “spiralling out of control”, as “time and again we see the correlation between stable and meaningful employment and emotional well-being”.

Research by the New Economics Foundation found that young people were nearly 2.5 times more likely than average to lose their jobs due to the pandemic and also more likely to be unable to access any financial support.

Coun Judith Blake, Leeds Council’s leader and the chairwoman of the Local Government Association’s children and young people’s board, said it was “vital the Government doesn’t make the same mistakes it did in 2010”.

“The last decade of austerity has increased inequalities and young people have been among the hardest hit.

“With reports one in five students are planning to defer starting courses, additional support is needed to help young people make difficult and unprecedented choices about their futures.”

A Treasury spokesperson said: “The unprecedented actions we’ve taken to protect jobs and businesses through this crisis will help mitigate the impact on our economy and young people across the whole country.

“We want to support young people across the North to have the best possible opportunities in life, by creating a thriving Northern economy.”