It’s been a turbulent few decades for our country. We’ve had political shocks and gone through economic downturns which have posed challenges for many. Despite the stick that young people often get, that includes them too. Sure we’ve grown up with broadband, gadgets and technology but we were also sold a lie that getting into debt for our education then topping it up by working unpaid internships would pay off for us all.
When the last recession hit I remember the fear that struck me as I was trying to navigate through my early career. Since then, as a society and as a generation we’ve struggled through austerity and been met with job instability and low wages, all while relying on an often exploitative and insecure private renting sector. The old social security safety net has been chipped away at and many of the public services our parents and grandparents had known were sold off.
Now in my 30s, I know what a challenge this has been for my generation. That’s why I’m so frustrated to see that today’s young people facing even more hardship in a post-coronavirus world.
“Although this pandemic is far from over, we’re already beginning to see some of the long-term damage. And once again, young people who are vulnerable.”
This is the generation who have grown up knowing nothing but austerity. Today’s teenage school leavers were those four-year-olds starting school in 2008 when the last recession hit. Many won’t remember or know about youth services which have been slashed with a £732million cut in England since 2010, resulting in 600 youth centres closures between 2012 and 2016. Over the last decade, education funding has been slashed to levels as low as they were in the 1970s.
Although this pandemic is far from over, we’re already beginning to see some of the long-term damage. And once again, young people who are vulnerable. Those in education face confusion and disruption in their school and university exams. Many in apprenticeships are at risk of losing their jobs or places on courses. During the crisis so far, lower earners, who are more likely to be young, have been hit the hardest and are twice as likely to lose their jobs as high earners. Reports from the Resolution Foundation have revealed that one million young people are facing unemployment as a result of this crisis, with one in three 18- to 24-year-olds earning less than before the outbreak.
Non-graduates are set to experience the longest and most significant impact. We know that in terms of unemployment, the financial crisis had the most damaging impact on those who had only recently left full-time education. And among them, recent non-graduate leavers were hardest hit. This crisis may be even worse than the 2008 crash for young people; it has kicked out the foundations of the youth job market, jobs in hospitality, retail – jobs which young people used to be able to rely upon – and it is unclear whether these sectors will fully recover.
“If history tells us anything, it’s that the Tories cannot be trusted to protect the interests of vulnerable, poor, and young people in our society.”
As for the school leavers or university graduates, they have more bad news too. Some of the UK’s biggest employers, including Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC and PwC have announced delayed or cancelled recruitment schemes or internships and more than a quarter of companies predict that they will hire fewer graduates due to the pandemic. Research conducted during lockdown by the Prince’s Trust reveals that over a quarter of 16-to-25 year olds feel their future career prospects have already been damaged by the coronavirus crisis. This is while 46% consider finding a job now “impossible”.
If history tells us anything, it’s that the Tories cannot be trusted to protect the interests of vulnerable, poor, and young people in our society. With another recession looming, austerity looks far from done, and once again our young peoples’ futures may be on the line. As a country, we must all rise to the challenge of the pandemic, but we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. When it comes to rebuilding our country and our communities in post-coronavirus Britain we must ensure all government policies are properly vigorously tested for their impact on young people and vulnerable groups.
We must not allow this pandemic to create an even more unjust world; our young people deserve better because they are only young once.
Cat Smith is the Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, and shadow minister for young people