6.1 Million Indian Youth May Lose Jobs Due To COVID-19: ADB-ILO Report

A report by Asian Development Bank (ADB) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) says that as many as 6.1 million young people aged 15 to 24 years may lose jobs in India in 2020 if the containment of the virus takes six months (roughly till September).

India will be followed by Pakistan, which will see 2.3 million youth losing jobs, said the report, titled 'Tackling the COVID-19 youth employment crisis in Asia and the Pacific', released on Tuesday.

Overall, 14.8 million younsters will suffer job cuts in 13 countries in the region.

The unemployment rate in India will rise to as much as 32.5 percent, but it will be higher in Sri Lanka, at 37.8 percent.

Construction and farm sector workers account for the majority of job losses, according to the report.

Employment prospects of the young in Asia and the Pacific have been severely challenged due to the pandemic, it added, stating that the youth (15-24 years) will be hit harder than adults (25 and older) in the immediate crisis.

In India, the report said that two-thirds of firm-level apprenticeships and three-quarters of internships were completely disrupted during the pandemic.

The analysis has been based on a regional assessment by the 'Global Survey on Youth and COVID-19', whose estimates were arrived at based on available unemployment data in different countries.