The case for releasing the young from lockdown: A briefing paper for policymakers

No exit strategy currently exists from the UK's lockdown, implemented to protect its citizens from Coronavirus. But as the crisis continues, the strain placed upon the economy worsens.

Andrew Oswald and Nattavudh Powdthavee have considered a possible way forward to protect those most at risk from COVID-19 while also supporting the UK economy: allow young people to return to work.

The authors suggest releasing from lockdown the young cohort of UK citizens aged between 20 and 30 who do not live with parents. They calculate that there are approximately 4.2 million UK individuals who fall into this 20-30 age band. Of those, 2.6 million work in the private sector, so unless some corrective action is taken, they are likely to be extremely harshly affected, financially, when compared to employees in the public sector. A young workforce release of this kind could lead to substantial economic and societal benefits without enormous health costs to the country. In this way, the nation might begin to move forward in the footsteps of the young.

Read the research