THE TUC has warned that Britain “cannot afford to lose a generation of young people” after a report showed almost half of students fear that their chances of getting a job have diminished. 

A stark study into the impact of Covid-19 on the job prospects of students revealed that over a third of graduate employers (39 per cent) expect to hire less or no graduates over the next 12 months. 

The Sutton Trust called on employers today move internships online, after a YouGov study of 1,005 businesses found that 61 per cent of employers have cancelled some or all of their placements.

The social-mobility charity is also urging employers to take into account the impact of missed school time and cancellation of exams over the lockdown period, especially on students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

But young people are already apprehensive about their future job prospects, with 46 per cent saying that the pandemic has negatively impacted their chances of employment, according to a separate YouGov poll of 895 current undergraduate students. 

Sutton Trust founder and chairman Peter Lampl said: “It is crystal clear that young people will bear the brunt for years to come of the massive downturn caused by Covid-19, and young people from poorer backgrounds will be most affected.”

He added: “Employers will need policies in place to allow everyone a fair chance of being recruited to the lower number of graduate jobs available.”

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said that young people were also more likely to work in industries worst hit by the crisis, like hospitality and retail. 

“We cannot afford a lost generation of young people,” she stressed. “We need urgent action to invest in decent jobs.”