The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic destroyed about 6 million jobs in the European Union, Reuters reports, citing research from Eurofound.

Eurofound's study found that remore working, short-term work schemes, and other government support helped protect jobs, but it also resulted in many long periods of unemployment without making an appearance in unemployment statistics.

By spring 2020, the EU employed 5.7 million fewer people than at the end of 2019, ad 6.3 million less than the growth trend that could have been expected before the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Eurofound, the employment rate for Q4 2019 was 201 million, compared to approximately 450 million in the EU. The corresponding change in the EU unemployment rate was more modest, from 6.6% to 6.7%.

In the 12 months to spring 2020, employment in the EU has dropped by 2.4%, the number of working hours per week for those still working has decreased by almost one hour, and the share of employed but not working employees has more than doubled to 17 %, the statement says.

Eurofound reported that the number of temporary contracts fell by 17%, especially in Spain, France, Poland, Italy, and Greece. Young workers were the hardest hit, with youth employment declining more during the pandemic than during the financial crisis that began in 2008, putting another 'lost generation' at risk.

Unlike the financial and economic crisis over a decade ago, the pandemic has disproportionately affected sectors dominated by women, including housing, food, and travel.

Roughly half of the EU's workforce has moved to remote work, while better educated workers in cities are more likely to keep their jobs than others, further exacerbating inequality.