We’re really pleased to have contributed to Public Health Wales’ Wider Determinants of Health Unit’s work on the impact of COVID-19 on employment in Wales. The Unit’s series of reports includes insights from young people, third sector organisations and decision makers and influencers in Wales which Beaufort delivered, as well as an interactive online map of evidence relating to promising interventions to improve health and health equity by action on employment.
This important work has attracted media coverage as well.
The summary profiles and full reports are available on Public Health Wales’ Good, fair work webpage.
This work found:
– In spite of COVID schemes such as furlough, 2020 saw large rises in redundancies and universal credit claims
– Young, women, low paid and ethnic minority groups were most affected by shutdown sectors
– Pathways to employment have been disrupted, especially for disadvantaged young people
– The pandemic intensified pre-existing challenges among young people to find good quality work
– Young people told us they found the impact of the pandemic stressful, hard, boring, difficult, uncertain and lonely
– Wider factors such as digital connectivity and transport play a role
– Active labour market, passive labour market, COVID specific, family support policies and improving working conditions all show promise in relation to improving health and equity.