Remote Work Leaves Younger Workers Sidelined

RePEc Short ID: pha1494
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5655-6030

Emanuel, Natalia; Harrington, Emma; Pallais, Amanda

doi:10.59576/lse.20260601

Discussion Paper

Remote Work Leaves Younger Workers Sidelined

Abstract: Youth unemployment has risen dramatically since the pandemic—as has the prevalence of remote work. Our analysis suggests that these trends are related, with remote work making it more difficult for managers to train and mentor new employees. Accordingly, companies may be reluctant to hire less-experienced workers in distributed work arrangements. We estimate that remote work can explain 64 percent of the recent increase in unemployment among young college graduates. Further, the timing of this surge suggests that remote work—not generative AI—explains the bulk of the rise in youth unemployment.

JEL Classification: E24; J23;

https://doi.org/10.59576/lse.20260601