While Boris Johnson panders to older voters, younger generations’ prospects are bleaker than ever
Here’s a tale of two generations, the pensioners and young workers. As the pandemic furlough winds down this week, one generation is destined for a mighty windfall from the government while the other gets nothing. The reason is clear: the Tories win three times more votes from one group than the other.
As of this week, employers start picking up the furlough bill, previously paid by the government, and many will let staff go, with their businesses still running on empty. Most of those losing jobs will be young people in the low-paid hospitality, arts, entertainment and tourism sectors, who, warns the Resolution Foundation, will struggle to find work: reports of worker shortages “have been overplayed”, and so have reports of steep pay rises. But those artificial pay-rise figures are about to deliver a bonanza for pensioners.
