Young workers

Young people’s mental health has become a cause of growing concern since the pandemic. A report by the Resolution Foundation think tank Double Trouble said that young people aged 18 to 24 years old have gone from being the least likely age group to have common mental disorders (CMDs), such as anxiety and depression, in 2000, to being the most likely to by 2019. Young people experiencing CMDs rose from 24 to 30%.

According to the research, the Covid-19 pandemic has turbo-charged an already existing crisis. More than one in three people aged 45 and under reported having a mental health disorder in January 2021, with the highest incidence (40%) among 18-21 year olds. The report shows that this sharp deterioration in young people’s mental health is associated with the huge employment hit they have taken over the pandemic period.

More than one in three (36%) 18-35 year olds who lost their jobs during the pandemic rated their mental health as poor, compared to 28% who had experienced no change in employment or had been furloughed. Job security also looks to have played a role in affecting workers’ mental health. Young workers who were on insecure contracts (such as agency, temporary or zero-hours contracts) in January 2021 were significantly more likely to report mental health problems than those on secure contracts (37%, compared to 30%).