Like millions of young people across Europe, Rebecca Lee, 25, has suddenly found herself shut out of the labor market. Her job as a personal assistant at a London architecture firm, where she had worked for two years, was eliminated in September, leaving her looking for work of any kind.
Lee sent out nearly 100 job applications. After scores of rejections, and even being wait-listed for a food delivery gig at Deliveroo, she finally landed a two month contract at a family-aid charity that pays about $13 an hour.
“At the moment, I will take anything I can get,” says Lee, who has a degree in illustration from the University of Westminster. “It’s been desperate.”
The coronavirus pandemic is rapidly fueling a new youth unemployment crisis in Europe. Young professionals are being disproportionately hit, economically and socially, by lockdown restrictions, forcing many to make painful adjustments like moving back in with their parents.
Years of job growth has disappeared in a matter of months, leaving more than twice as many young people as other adults out of work. The European Union jobless rate for people 25 and under jumped from 14.7 percent in January to 17.6 percent in August (compared to 7.4 percent overall).
Millions of young people across Europe have suddenly been shut out of the labor market. Rebecca Lee, 25, is one of them. For two years, she had worked as a personal assistant at a London architecture firm. Her position was eliminated in September, leaving her looking for work of any kind.
Lee sent out nearly 100 job applications. She received dozens of rejections. She was even wait-listed for a food delivery gig at Deliveroo. After all of that, she finally landed a two-month contract at a family-aid charity that pays about $13 an hour.
“At the moment, I will take anything I can get,” says Lee, who has a degree in illustration from the University of Westminster. “It’s been desperate.”
The coronavirus pandemic is rapidly fueling a new youth unemployment crisis in Europe. Young professionals are being hit especially hard by lockdown restrictions. And they’re suffering economically and socially. Many of them have had to make painful adjustments like moving back in with their parents.
Years of job growth has disappeared in a matter of months. That left more than twice as many young people as other adults out of work. The European Union jobless rate for people 25 and under jumped from 14.7 percent in January to 17.6 percent in August. In comparison, the overall rate is only 7.4 percent.