COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on young workers. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), closures of schools, universities and training centres has adversely affected more than 70% of youth who study or combine study with work. On top of this, 43% of workers aged 18 to 24 have said their productivity has decreased since they started working remotely, a new reality facing the labour force.

This challenging work climate disrupts and delays young peoples’ careers, putting them at risk of a gap in skills, potentially creating the lockdown generation. An uncertain future of work, with a fast-changing demand for skills and experiences, is a difficult reality for all young workers.

The Young Leaders on the Future of Work panel discussion, at FU.SE 2020, assembled a group of diverse young voices who are finalists of the Adecco Group’s CEO for one month programme, including Danny Elnatour, Iris Marechal, Teodor Zhekov, Sara Ettiss and Kai Nestor.

Hosted by Alexandra Robinson, president of AIESEC, the largest youth-run organization in the world, this inspirational discussion was an opportunity to better understand the beliefs, hopes and fears of this generation and include these much needed voices into the discussion on the future of work.