REVISED TIME: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on young Australian workers

We examine the effects of the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic on the youth labour market in Australia. We explore the labour market outcomes of young Australians during the initial economic shock in 2020 and the subsequent recovery in 2021 using a range of timely and granular datasets. We find evidence that several groups of young Australians have been `left behind’ despite the strong labour market recovery over the past year.  We also provide an empirical framework for exploring the long-run `scarring’ effects of recessions on young workers and look for early evidence of COVID-related scarring in the Australian youth labour market.