In October the economic youth organization Demos will host the Better Deal 2009 conference. It comes at an opportune time since last week the AFL-CIO released a new study addressing the economic state of young Americans, and their conclusions. Young Workers: A Lost Decade. In the spirit of Labor Day I felt the 10 year tracking study was relevant to the future of Kansas.
Most meaningful findings:
- Young workers are having more trouble than ever getting ahead financially. times are even tougher for young workers of color, workers without college degrees and many women.
- Compared with older workers, workers younger than 35 are significantly less likely to be covered by health insurance or have retirement plans at their jobs, and are more likely to be unemployed. . .
- More than one in three young workers worry they will not be able to find a permanent, full-time job with benefits.
Dreams of Adulthood Deferred
- These financial constraints are forcing young workers to postpone many of the steps young people traditionally have taken to begin their adult lives. one of the most stunning findings of this survey reveals that more than one in three young workers are currently living at home with their parents.
- Nearly two in five young workers have had to delay further education or professional development due to financial worries.
An Overlooked Majority: The Plight of Low-income Young Workers:
- While all young workers have lost ground over the past decade, the outlook for low-income workers is especially bleak. And this problem does not affect just the few: More than half of young workers earn less than $30,000.
- Making things worse, low-wage jobs are significantly less likely to offer the benefits characteristic of “good jobs.” Forty-four percent of low-income young workers do not have health insurance, and only 27 percent have pension or retirement plans from their jobs.
I’ve included more points below to save on space, but this is the same verbal concerns we’ve heard from young people now for the past year or more. The same youth whose parents were blessed with things like health care, pensions, and the kind of job force that allowed you security for several years.
The all to frequent complaint from employers and “generation consultants” is that young people have high demands for their employers. I frequently argue that young people have high demands for jobs in general like having them, requesting they be making a living wage, and a benefits package. How horrible, right?
Full report below
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