Young and Unemployed

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.

Sabine Mirlesse/The New York Times

Elise Lauriot Prevost, 23

Profession: Humanitarian work
Country: France

Youth unemployment rate: 21%

Europe isn’t the only place where younger workers face a jobs crunch.
In the U.S., 12 percent of young people are unemployed and face many of the same challenges. In China, young adults are struggling for jobs in the post-outbreak era. But in Europe, the pandemic’s economic impact puts an entire generation at risk, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Young people are overrepresented in sectors where jobs are disappearing, including travel, retail, and hospitality. And graduates face unprecedented competition for even entry-level positions from a tsunami of newly laid-off workers.

“Youth unemployment is a drag on economic growth overall, because they’re not earning and they’re not spending,” says Charles Kupchan of the Council on Foreign Relations. “You’re missing out on the best and the brightest coming out of schools with tech skills that older generations don’t have, so you’re missing out on potential innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Europe isn’t the only place where younger workers face a jobs crunch.

In the U.S., 12 percent of young people are unemployed and face many of the same challenges. In China, young adults are struggling for jobs in the post-outbreak era. But in Europe, the pandemic’s economic impact puts an entire generation at risk, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Young people make up larger portions of sectors where jobs are disappearing. That includes the fields of travel, retail, and hospitality. A wave of newly laid-off workers has made things even harder for graduates. They now have to face more competition than ever before, even for entry-level positions.

“Youth unemployment is a drag on economic growth overall, because they’re not earning and they’re not spending,” says Charles Kupchan of the Council on Foreign Relations. “You’re missing out on the best and the brightest coming out of schools with tech skills that older generations don’t have, so you’re missing out on potential innovation and entrepreneurship.”

Gianfranco Tripodo/The New York Times

Alvaro Castillo Sierra, 25

Profession: Marketing

Country: Spain

Youth unemployment rate: 41%

The European Union is encouraging businesses to recruit young people. But with Europe facing its worst recession since World War II, those programs may have little impact.

Europeans coming of age in the pandemic are lowering their expectations. Many are resorting to internships, moving back home, or returning to school to ride out the storm.

“I know at some point I will get a job, hopefully related to what I want to do,” says Alicia Davis, 22, who despite having a master’s degree in psychology has moved back in with her parents in northwest London. “But I feel like I’m a year behind where I should be.”

Elise Lauriot Prevost, 23, earned her master’s degree at the Paris Institute of Political Studies in June. Since then, she’s applied for more than 70 jobs—all dead ends. Now, she’s grappling with how to pay back more than $100,000 in student loans.

“I went to grad school to further my career, and now I’m graduating in the middle of a pandemic,” she says, adding, “I’m super stressed. I need to find a job immediately to be able to pay my rent and my loans.”

The European Union is encouraging businesses to recruit young people. But Europe is facing its worst recession since World War II. That means that those efforts may have little impact.

Europeans coming of age in the pandemic are lowering their expectations. Many are turning to internships, moving back home, or returning to school to ride out the storm.

“I know at some point I will get a job, hopefully related to what I want to do,” says Alicia Davis, 22, who despite having a master’s degree in psychology has moved back in with her parents in northwest London. “But I feel like I’m a year behind where I should be.”

Elise Lauriot Prevost, 23, earned her master’s degree at the Paris Institute of Political Studies in June. Since then, she’s applied for more than 70 jobs. All of them were dead ends. Now, she’s trying to figure out how to pay back more than $100,000 in student loans.

“I went to grad school to further my career, and now I’m graduating in the middle of a pandemic,” she says, adding, “I’m super stressed. I need to find a job immediately to be able to pay my rent and my loans.”

Myrto Papadopoulos/The New York Times

Christina Penteridou, 21

Profession: Filmmaking

Country: Greece

Youth unemployment rate: 40%

The situation is particularly difficult in Greece, which had just begun to recover from a decade-long financial crisis when the pandemic struck. Some of the nearly half a million young Greeks who had left to find jobs in other European Union countries were returning as an improving economy created new opportunities for them in Greece.

Christina Penteridou, 21, finds herself unemployed and living back home in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city. She has a filmmaking degree from Westminster University in London and is looking for an entry-level job in film production. But she’s coming up empty.

“They don’t have money to spare for someone in an entry-level position, especially at a time like this,” she says.

For many young people unable to find work, the scarring effects may linger.

“If you’re unemployed earlier on in your career, you’re more likely to experience joblessness in the future,” says Neal Kilbane, a senior economist at Oxford Economics.

Alvaro Castillo Sierra, 25, was on the verge of landing his dream job—a marketing position in the offices of an international clothing company in Amsterdam, the Netherlands—when the pandemic hit last March and everything fell apart. Castillo Sierra had worked diligently since graduating from a top Spanish university in 2018, and he was optimistic about his job prospects.

The situation is particularly difficult in Greece. The country had just begun to recover from a decade-long financial crisis when the pandemic struck. Nearly half a million young Greeks had left to find jobs in other European Union countries. As the economy in Greece began to improve, it created new opportunities for young people. That led some of them to return.

Christina Penteridou, 21, has a filmmaking degree from Westminster University in London. She’s currently unemployed and living back home in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city. She’s been looking for an entry-level job in film production, but she keeps coming up empty.

“They don’t have money to spare for someone in an entry-level position, especially at a time like this,” she says.

For many young people unable to find work, the scarring effects may linger.

“If you’re unemployed earlier on in your career, you’re more likely to experience joblessness in the future,” says Neal Kilbane, a senior economist at Oxford Economics.

Alvaro Castillo Sierra, 25, had worked diligently since graduating from a top Spanish university in 2018. He was optimistic about his job prospects. In fact, he was on the verge of landing his dream job—a marketing position in the offices of an international clothing company in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Then the pandemic hit last March and everything fell apart.

“I had all these interviews with great companies,” he says of his prepandemic job search. “But then the rhythm stopped.” Suddenly, his days were consumed with trawling LinkedIn for job openings, which dwindled rapidly. Instead of entry-level posts, more internships were listed.

In July, Castillo Sierra returned to Madrid to live with his parents and took an internship at a vegan cosmetics brand, where he assists with the company’s marketing program and is paid less than $700 a month. He enrolled in an online master’s degree course in digital marketing, hoping to increase his chances at employment should the market recover.

“I have experience, and it’s a struggle to find work,” Castillo Sierra says. “I can’t imagine what it’s like for other young people.”

“I had all these interviews with great companies,” he says of his prepandemic job search. “But then the rhythm stopped.” Suddenly, his days were filled with trawling LinkedIn for job openings. The postings dwindled rapidly. Instead of entry-level posts, more internships were listed.

In July, Castillo Sierra returned to Madrid to live with his parents. He took an internship at a vegan cosmetics brand. He assists with the company’s marketing program and is paid less than $700 a month. He recently enrolled in an online master’s degree course in digital marketing. He hopes that it will increase his chances at employment if the market recovers.

“I have experience, and it’s a struggle to find work,” Castillo Sierra says. “I can’t imagine what it’s like for other young people.”