The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unequivocal impact on young people. An International Labour Organisation (ILO) study found that ‘the impact of the pandemic on young people [is] systematic, deep and disproportionate.’ Twenty-three per cent of young people aged 18-24 who were working pre-pandemic are now unemployed, and those who are working have reported reductions in hours and income. “Students’ perceptions of their future career prospects are bleak, with 40 per cent facing the future with uncertainty and 14 per cent with fear,” the report adds. Globally, young people are feeling more uncertain about what the future holds.
In this COVID-19 and Youth: Learning and Employment interview series, the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) looks to explore trends and patterns within the global youth education and labour environment, and highlight youth voices on their hopes and fears for the post-COVID future.
“I was the lucky one, saved by my master’s degree.”
Sahithi, who graduated from UNC Charlotte, USA, and is an incoming security engineer at Amazon in Boston, was fortunate enough to land a job during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everyone has a bachelor’s degree these days. What sets you apart (from the rest of young people) is having that additional degree,” she says. That is one of the reasons Sahithi had initially decided to move on to the master’s program, as she “knew it would be beneficial down the line.” Her instinct turned out to be right. Still, she was nervous when she started applying for jobs during the pandemic, a turn of events unforeseeable back then.
Her friends were not as fortunate. Sahithi explains that “there were some former classmates who had trouble getting a job after their education.” She thinks her master’s degree in cyber security, a field which has become more appealing to businesses due to the pandemic, gave her the final push. However, Sahithi is not confident whether she could be so lucky the next time. “It worked out this time for me, since companies are now in dire need of hiring for their cybersecurity teams.” But uncertainty remains moving forward. The pandemic has taken the already heated competition in youth employment to a whole new level.