Young Australians are less qualified, less healthy and less productively engaged than they were a dozen years ago, in a sign of persisting ¡°knock-on effects¡± from the coronavirus pandemic.

A decades-old longitudinal study has found that the proportion of young adults with university qualifications has reverted to 2012 levels, after declining by seven percentage points since pre-pandemic times.

Just 39 per cent of 24-year-olds had degrees last year, similar to the 38 per cent reported in 2012 and down from 46 per cent in 2018.

The come from the (LSAY), which have tracked study and work trends among 15-25 year-old Australians since 1995.

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The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), which provides analytical, reporting and publishing services for LSAY, said the decline in university completions probably reflected ¡°delayed study pathways¡± due to Covid-19 lockdowns. They followed a ¡°2018 spike¡± driven by the uncapping of undergraduate places earlier in the decade, NCVER said.

The surveys also found that 54 per cent of 24-year-olds were in full-time employment last year, down from 65 per cent in 2012, while the proportion in part-time work had risen from 21 to 27 per cent.

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Just 49 per cent considered their current jobs to be ¡°career¡± positions, down from 60 per cent in 2012. This reflected ¡°more precarious and flexible work, delayed career entry, economic uncertainty and industry changes¡±, NCVER reasoned.

Managing director John King said previous surveys had found 24-year-olds to be ¡°well established¡± in the workforce, often with completed post-school qualifications. ¡°Our latest figures show fewer young people are established in a career path, indicating potential knock-on effects of a youth cohort impacted by the Covid pandemic.¡±

The proportion of 24-year-old participants rating their own health as ¡°excellent¡± or ¡°very good¡± fell from 65 per cent in 2012 to 43 per cent in 2024. Twelve per cent said their capacity to work or study had been undermined by poor health or disability, up from 6 per cent in 2012.

Among respondents whose work or study had been stymied, poor mental health was blamed in more than half of cases ¨C up from a little over one-quarter in 2012. One in 10 blamed chronic fatigue or post-viral illness, up from one in 20 in 2012, while the proportion blaming dyslexia or learning disabilities had risen ninefold.

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¡°These patterns may reflect greater awareness and reporting of mental health issues, rather than a real change in prevalence,¡± NCVER speculated.

Many respondents cited educational gaps and lack of confidence as impediments to finding work. ¡°These issues are often connected,¡± King said. ¡°Rising reports of mental health conditions can affect confidence. At the same time, difficulties in navigating education and training options can make it harder to step into full-time work.¡¯

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com