UK black youth ‘three times as likely’ to be jobless after COVID-19

We’re led to believe that the government is removing superficial barriers to employment and striving for total social equality, yet the evidence tells a different story.

Experts now fear the UK is set for a breakdown in the labour market akin to that of the Brixton Riots, where the rate of unemployment for young black workers doubled in a matter of months.

According to senior economist Sarah Arnold, young minority ethnic workers are always in the most precarious position when the financial sector breaks down due to a general lack of ‘protection schemes,’ particularly in the UK.

Statistics show that many young ethnic workers are disposed to what is known as ‘insecure work’ – zero-hours and fixed term contracts, or potentially earning through cash-in-hand positions with next to no contractual security.

That means when furlough and universal credit schemes come into play to bide people over in tough times, government support in itself is adding to an inequality problem.

‘These kinds of jobs [insecure work] have received less protection from schemes like furlough, and it is likely this has contributed to unemployment rising much faster among these groups compared to both young white workers and the population as a whole,’ Arnold said to The Guardian.

It seems that despite the momentous elevation of the BLM movement in 2020, policy makers still have plenty to consider and work on if we’re to close long spanning disparities in the job market.

Introducing new schemes to benefit the whole country will only do so if the intricacies of socio-economics are considered. On that front, the data again demonstrates there needs to be an elevation of consciousness and also responsibility at the highest level.

If there’s one shred of positivity here, it’s that the government will have to finally stop deluding itself and realise that the job market currently isn’t even close to equitable.