Workers under age 30 have been the first to lose their jobs or be placed on unpaid leave during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The younger the worker, the higher the unemployment rate in May 2020. The rate was 10 per cent for those aged 31 to 65, but 24 per cent for those under the age of 30.
And among those still employed, the young were nearly twice as likely to be on unpaid leave, according to the May 2020 Labour Force Survey.
Nevertheless, young people possess some labour market advantages.
A large fraction of their skills can be readily transferred to other jobs. Young workers tend not to have small business debts or family obligations. They are unlikely to own homes that must be sold to take up employment in other locations.
Young people also tend to be more physically able to take up seasonal natural resource jobs, which are often lucrative. What's more, this age group is less likely to have the pre-existing medical conditions that seem to make COVID-19 more deadly.
Spent fewer weeks on the job
Young workers have generally worked at their jobs for shorter periods than older employees. The Labour Force Survey showed workers under age 30 had been with their current workplace for an average of 31 weeks. Those aged 31 to 65 had worked at the same place for an average of 115 weeks.
