Effects of COVID-19 on Youth Transitions

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) released a report Treading water: effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth transitions. This report highlights wellbeing changes during COVID-19 compared to previous longitudinal surveys of Australian youth aged 19 to 20. Findings include an increase in youth attending higher education, an expected increase in permanent or ongoing employment did not occur and there was a significant increase in youth underemployment. There was also a profound effect on young people's mental health with 23.3% of 20 years in 2020 experiencing probably serious mental illness compared to 7.1% of 20 year olds in 2014.