Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on labour market situation of young people

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the work and life of young people. Against this group, less favourable values of employment and unemployment rates are recorded than for experienced people, due to their lack of work experience, specialist knowledge and skills. These premises are the basis for employing young people with less favourable contract terms. The purpose of the paper was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the situation of young people in the labour market. To achieve the goal, an analysis of the literature on the subject, studies and reports presented on the websites of institutions dealing with the labour market was carried out, as well as an analysis of basic labour market measures using statistical data. Own research was also carried out. The analyses of the literature and statistical data showed that young people were particularly hard-hit by the consequences of the pandemic – unemployment in this group increased significantly and the percentage of NEET increased. In addition, the entry of new generations into the labour market contributed to the difficulty in keeping a job. At the same time, the results of research conducted among young people from Podkarpackie Province prove that the respondents did not suffer significantly from the negative consequences of the pandemic. Most of them did not lose their jobs and were not forced to change their jobs. Many employers did not reduce personnel costs, which made it possible for them to maintain their current standard of living.