Ulster Unionist Economy spokesperson, John Stewart MLA, has asked the Economy Minister to set out creative solutions to support Northern Ireland`s young people and help prevent them becoming a forgotten generation in the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. He also asked for a representative from the Social Enterprise sector to be included on the Economic Advisory Group.
Mr Stewart said:
“Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the unemployment figures and like many others, I am concerned that those figures will only grow as the Furlough scheme starts to taper off and businesses start to see what their bottom line really looks like.
“Young people could be among those worst affected and we do not want them to become a forgotten generation. As made clear in a Youth Forum survey, unemployment is now a massive issue for 20% of young people and I have asked the Economy Minister to set out what creative solutions her department could come up with to support them. Many feel there is nothing available for them in the short term so we need to do all we can to plot a course forward to provide them with the support they need to set themselves up for their future.
“I welcome the establishment of the Economic Advisory Group, however I would like to see a representative from the Social Enterprise sector being given a seat at the table. Scandanavian countries and Canada have all made social enterprise an important cornerstone of their economies and that`s what we should be striving for too. I raised this directly with the Minister at Stormont`s Economy Committee so I hope she will take this on board.”