Coronavirus Pandemic Barely Affects Youth Unemployment in Germany
The coronavirus pandemic has so far had almost no effect on youth unemployment in Germany, as an analysis of current OECD data in CESifo Forum shows. From September 2019 to March 2020, unemployment among young people aged 15–24 increased by more than 50 percent on average across OECD countries. For the same group and same period in Germany, however, the unemployment level hardly went up.
“The situation has developed differently in the various OECD countries”, says ifo researcher Lavinia Kinne. Youth unemployment increased markedly in the US, Canada, and Sweden at the start of the pandemic in spring 2020, but has since fallen back sharply. France followed a similar path, although the rise was not as pronounced. These developments are in line with the OECD average. The exceptions are Italy and the United Kingdom, where the rise in youth unemployment was not as pronounced, but continues to this day. On average, young women were more likely to experience youth unemployment than men across all OECD countries.
Analyzing this data serves to examine the consequences of the coronavirus crisis for children, adolescents, and young adults in an international comparison. Other topics covered in the article include the impact of school closures, the implications of the coronavirus crisis for professional training and students, and the mental health of young age groups.
Article
“Corona Class of 2020”: A Lost Generation?
ifo Institute, Munich, 2021
CESifo Forum 22 (4), 53-58
