The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the world’s young workers hard. While the pandemic has had an unprecedented impact across the global workforce, youth have suffered greater job losses than other age groups.

According to the latest ILO statistical update on the impact of COVID, which came out just before World Youth Skills Day on 15 July, employment of young people aged 15 to 24 fell sharply in 2020.

What’s more, the crisis and lockdown measures constrained young people from even looking for work, increasing the so-called NEETs—young people not in employment, education, and training—last year, leaving young people worse off for years to come.

In this podcast, we hear from ILO senior youth employment experts Niall O’Higgins and Sher Verick on the situation now, and where we are headed.