'SCARS'

Teens face ‘mental scarring’ with long-term impact of coronavirus lockdown on Scots economy, experts warn

TEENS face being “scarred” by the long-term impact of lockdown on the Scots economy, MSPs have been warned.

Experts say youngsters trying to get on the jobs market were among the most likely to be hit by the coronavirus fall-out.

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And they called for a “brave and radical approach” to support those struggling as the nation begins to emerge from the crisis.

Benny Higgins, former chief executive of Tesco Bank, told MSPs: “We have to look specifically and make specific provision for the generation that actually could be really hurt by this and scarred in the long run.

“One group is the late teenagers into their mid-twenties, coming out of secondary or tertiary education.

“It’s a very different world than they would have thought a matter of months ago.”

And Dame Julia Unwin, ex-chief exec of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, added: “If there is time lost from the labour market in that age group, it’s a scar across their working lives.

“One way or another we need to find ways in which companies could step up and make a different sort of offer with Government support.”

The pair were speaking as part of Holyrood’s Advisory Group on Economic Recovery.

Mr Higgins also branded lockdown “on some levels the most unwanted but the most extra­ordinary social experiment of civilisation”.

He added: “We’ve learned in this time that there are good things that have emerged and the speed at which many people have adopted home working is clearly going to stay with us.”

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said youths and wo­men would “suffer most” in the post-virus job market.

The Nats MSP added: “We have to take special responsibility for these particular groups of people.”

andrew.nicoll@ the-sun.co.uk