MORE young workers were made redundant during this summer than in all of 2019, according to new TUC analysis published today. 

About 59,000 workers aged 16 to 24 lost their jobs in July to September this year, compared to 56,000 across the whole of last year, the research found.

The TUC said that the findings highlight the disproportionate impact of the Covid-19 economic crisis on young people.

Without urgent investment in good new jobs a generation will be scarred by mass unemployment, the union body warned.

The analysis details how young workers have suffered a bigger hit to their job prospects than any other age group. 

During the Covid-19 crisis, the number of employed working adults has fallen by two per cent. 

But the number of 16- to 24-year-olds in employment has plummeted by eight per cent to 3.5 million – lower than at any point during the 2008 financial crash. 

The TUC said this is largely the result of Covid-19 hitting sectors of the economy where young people tend to work, such as hospitality, retail and food services.  

General secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We are on the edge of a national unemployment crisis. 

“This generation of young workers must not be abandoned to mass unemployment.”

She called for action at the next government spending review to create good jobs.

“That means fast-tracking investment in green transport and infrastructure on a much more ambitious scale than the prime minister announced this week,” she said. 

“And it means stepping in to help hard-hit industries like retail and hospitality – two of the biggest employers of young people.” 

Ms O’Grady added that young workers who lose their jobs need help to get back on their feet quickly. 

“They need decent financial support, not misery and destitution,” she said. “The government must boost universal-credit payments.”