The Unions 21 pamphlet shows how early experiences of unemployment can ‘scar’ young people for the rest of their lives, associated with reduced wages, more problematic health outcomes, increased likelihood of future periods of unemployment and other social problems.
It also details how precarious work hurts young people. Although there are lengthy debates about what precarious work means with in the UK context, we can at very least define it as those who are in temporary work when they would prefer a permanent job. By this measure around a third (32.5%) of the young workers who are in temporary employment are there because they cannot find a permanent job.
There is mounting evidence from around the EU that this kind of involuntary temporary work may bring with it similar scarring effects if it is a long term feature of employment.
