Younger generations critical to economic recovery from Covid-19

The coronavirus has had significant impacts on youth unemployment and opportunities in the workplace. Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) released earlier this month indicates that the unemployment level among those aged 16-24 has risen to 13.4 per cent. Young people are one of the hardest hit generations, with a number of entry-level roles in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors impacted by the pandemic.

New research released by LifeSkills created by Barclays highlights that the younger generation has a critical role to play in the UK’s recovery from Covid-19. In the research, a third (34 per cent) of business leaders surveyed agreed that the younger generation in particular will play a significant role in helping businesses survive and thrive in a post-Covid-19 world, due to the fresh ideas and innovative perspective they often bring to the workplace. The most common reasons why they believe this are their energy and enthusiasm (51 per cent), aptitude for technology (46 per cent), and creativity (40 per cent).

Aston spoke to Kirstie MacKey, head of life skills at Barclays and Gary McPake, reverse mentoring student to discuss the research in further detail.

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