Resort youngsters hit hardest by virus job shortage

Young people under the age of 24 in Southport are the most likely to be unemployed or struggling to find a job thanks to the impact of Coronavirus.

National figures show the unemployment rate has risen to its highest level for two years.

Young people were particularly hard hit, with those aged 16 to 24 suffering the biggest drop in employment compared with other age groups.

Across the resort companies both large and small are feeling the ‘Covid Pinch’ and are either letting staff go or imposing recruitment freezes, often scrapping low level and entry positions.

Firms in the town and wider region continue to remove staff from payrolls as they prepare for the end of the government’s furlough scheme.

There were 156,000 fewer young people in employment in the three months to July compared to the previous quarter, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics.

The government’s Job Retention Scheme will begin tapering off next month before ending on 31 October.

Under the scheme – which has seen 9.6 million people furloughed – the government initially paid 80% of a person’s wages up to £2,500 a month. 

Since the start of September, the state’s contribution has fallen to 70%, with employers expected to make up the remainder of pay before the scheme ends on 31 October.