NEW RESEARCH has revealed that young black people have been hit the hardest by unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to think tank the Resolution Foundation, 35% of young, black people are now jobless. The figure rose by more than a third during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In comparison, only 13% of young, white people are now without jobs. Their unemployment rate increased by 3% as a result of the pandemic.

The think tank pointed out that young people in general have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 job losses.

This is partly because they are more likely to work in industries that have been affected by lockdowns, such as leisure and hospitality.

In 2020, the unemployment rate among young people rose to 13.6%. It stood at 11.5% in the quarter beforehand.

This was the most dramatic quarter on quarter increase since 1992.

“The rise in youth unemployment is not just about those losing their jobs, but also about young people not finding work in the first place,” the foundation explained.

“Those who left education just before or during the crisis – the so-called class of 2020 – have faced particular difficulties, with unemployment rising fastest among those who recently left education.

“Having a degree has not protected recent graduates from this effect.”

At the end of last year, unemployment among black graduates had reached 34%. Before the pandemic, it stood at a rate of 22%.

In stark comparison, the white youth graduate unemployment rate stood at 13%.

The Resolution Foundation is calling on the government to expand the Kickstart youth jobs scheme, in a bid to protect young people from long-term unemployment and ensure that those from ethnic minorities get the support they need.

The news comes as analysis from The Guardian revealed that the black youth unemployment rate stood at around 40%, following their analysis of ONS (Office of National Statistics) data.