'Adapt and overcome': class of 2020 inherits worst labor market since the Great Depression
'Adapt and overcome': class of 2020 inherits worst labor market since the Great Depression
Ceremonies have been cancelled and internships have vanished as a new round of graduates step into a world hobbled by the pandemic
(
Guardian UK) Monique Guerra will graduate from the University of California, Riverside, this week with a double major in education and Spanish. But, like so many other students in their final year of study, she hasnt figured out what happens next.
The class of 2020 is on a rollercoaster ride, whiplashed by Covid-19s carnage across the United States. Dozens of institutions have cancelled or postponed in-person graduation ceremonies in the name of public health. And graduates such as Guerra are facing the daunting prospect of having to elbow their way into the worst labor market since the Great Depression, after more than 40 million people filed unemployment claims since mid-March.
Its really tough right now, Guerra said. I dont know whats gonna happen. And its ironic because I think my number one fear in life is uncertainty.
As the American economy flounders, opportunities that existed mere months ago have all but vanished. On Glassdoor, internship openings have dropped across the board, and have plummeted in hard-hit industries such as travel and tourism. According to a recent survey by job-search site Handshake, 30% of juniors and seniors they polled had lost their summer internships after future employers reneged on offers. And many young people who were banking on internships are now out of a paycheck, as their cancelled programs are not compensating them at all. ...........(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/08/adapt-and-overcome-class-of-2020-inherits-worst-labor-market-since-the-great-depression