Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Nearly 3 in 10 Young People Are 'Disconnected'.

• Author: Fry, Richard

As COVID-19 cases have surged in the United States, young adults face a weakening labor marketand an uncertain educational outlook. Between February and June 2020, the share of young adults who were neither enrolled in school nor employed--a measure some refer to as the "disconnection rate"--had more than doubled, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by Pew Research Center. Most of the increase is related to job loss among young workers.

At the beginning of 2020, the share of Americans ages 16 to 24 who were "disconnected" from work and school mirrored rates from the previous year. But between March and April, the share jumped significantly, from 12% to 20%. By June 2020, 28% of youths were neither in school nor in the workplace.

While not the highest on record, June's 28% disconnection rate--which translates into 10.3 million young people--is the highest ever observed for the month of June, dating back to 1989 when the data first became available. This trend is one indicator of the difficulties young people are facing as they transition into adulthood during a global pandemic.

It is important to note that some of the increase in the disconnection rate in June reflects the end of the school year around May. Even in a typical year, the share of students enrolled in school or college tends to fall between May and June because many young people do not enroll in summer school.

Most of the 8 percentage point increase in detachment from June 2019 to June 2020 can be attributed to coronavirus-related job loss among young workers, as the share enrolled in school has remained relatively stable, aside from seasonal patterns.

The steep increase in youth detachment from February to June is fairly widespread. It includes...