•Press Release COVID-19 Economic Crisis and Recovery Health and Social Programs United States
Washington DC — Employment rates for young people had yet to fully rebound from the Great Recession when the pandemic hit and youth employment plunged downward again. A new analysis, published today by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), shows recent employment rates for 16 to 24-year-olds have dropped at twice the rate of overall employment, with the most dramatic declines being 18 to 19-year-old women.
The coauthors of the analysis, Shawn Fremstad and Hye Jin Rho, point out that compared to the policies and options young people had in the Great Recession, recent federal relief policies have mostly overlooked today’s youth. Not even colleges and universities can offer much of a refuge, as they struggle to face their own financial pressures.
“Without an inclusive pandemic recovery plan, young people in the US face lasting harm that will impact their future employment, earnings, education, and health,” said Fremstad.
