Irish Examiner View: It’s young who are vulnerable

Cork City Council washing down the pavement during a deep clean of Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

FOR the past two months or more we have heard lots of discussion about the most vulnerable people in Irish society. The consensus is that it is the elderly who are most at risk, at least in the short-term while Covid-19 remains at large. However, longterm it is the young who could prove the most vulnerable, not in terms of their physical health but for their ability to make a decent living and enjoy a comfortable life.

Recent research by the IDA shows that Ireland has one of the most educated workforces in the world, with the share of 30-34 year olds here with a third level qualification standing at 56.3%, compared to an EU average of 40.7%. But that is no guarantee that they will enjoy the same level of prosperity as their parents. A study published by the International Monetary Fund reveals that, despite being better educated than their parents, millennials—those born between 1980 and 2000—may have less job stability during their working life.

At the same time, a poll by Future Learn, the online learning platform operated by Britain’s Open University, reveals a wide disparity among job prospects for young people in major cities worldwide. Singapore comes out on top while Nordic cities like Helsinki and Oslo are in the top five. Dublin comes a disappointing 32nd out of 100. Although the main poll was taken prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, a subsequent one reveals that the pandemic is bound to worsen matters. Longterm, it is the young we need to worry about, not the old.