At the beginning of the pandemic, Canada saw larger increases in the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training compared with other OECD member countries
A new fact sheet released today shows that the increase in rates of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was greater in Canada and the United States compared with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Across OECD member countries, the annual NEET rate for youth aged 18 to 24 years increased by 2 percentage points, from 14.4% in 2019 to 16.1% in 2020. In comparison, the NEET rate rose by 6 percentage points (from 13.4% in 2019 to 19.7% in 2020) in Canada and 5 percentage points (from 14.5% in 2019 to 19.2% in 2020) in the United States. Conversely, countries such as the United Kingdom, France and New Zealand saw much smaller changes to the youth NEET rate in 2020.
The larger increase in NEET rates observed in Canada at the beginning of the pandemic may be associated with stricter public health measures in Canada compared to other countries, as well as the concentration of Canadian youth in industries that were more affected by these measures, such as retail trade. The NEET rate for youth aged 18 to 24 years was more impacted by changes in the labour market than their participation in education.
By 2021, however, NEET rates returned closer to their pre-pandemic levels in most OECD countries, including Canada and the United States. In Canada, this result followed the easing of pandemic-related restrictions and broader economic recovery. Accordingly, youth employment grew in several service industries as public health restrictions were eased.
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