Posted on 10/10/2009 4:12:44 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Bright, eager—and unwanted. While unemployment is ravaging just about every part of the global workforce, the most enduring harm is being done to young people who can't grab onto the first rung of the career ladder.
Affected are a range of young people, from high school dropouts, to college grads, newly minted lawyers and MBAs across the developed world from Britain to Japan. One indication: In the U.S., the unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds climbed to more than 18%, from 13% a year ago.
For people just starting their careers, the damage may be deep, long-lasting, potentially creating a kind of "lost generation." Studies suggest that an extended period of youthful joblessness can significantly depress lifetime income as people get stuck in jobs that are beneath their capabilities, or come to be seen by employers as damaged goods.
Equally important, employers are likely to suffer from the scarring of a generation. The freshness and vitality young people bring to the workplace is missing. Tomorrow's would-be star employees are on sidelines, deprived of experience and losing motivation. In Japan, which has been down this road since the early 1990s, workers who started their careers a decade or more ago and are now in their 30s account for 6 in 10 reported cases of depression, stress, work-related mental disabilities, according to Japan Productivity Center for Socio-Economic Development.
When today's unemployed finally do get jobs in the recovery, many may be dissatisfied to be slotted below people who worked all along—especially if the newcomers spent their downtime getting more education, says Richard Thompson, vice-president for talent development at Adecco Group North America, which employs more than 300,000 people in temporary positions. Says Thompson: "You're going to have multiple generations fighting for the jobs that are going to come back in the recovery."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessweek.com ...
I just have a hard time with this discussion as I had been with a company for two years, but got laid off because I was one of the two newest employees. Needless to say, I will be up in South Dakota and Wyoming the next two weeks on a temp job. Would rather do that than take unemployment. I take offense at broad generalizations. Thats why I’m cool with your “most” and appreciated it.
Boomers screwed up as parents, but Gen X and Y were much much worse.
Got ya, I’ll work with that. But you’re right, not a baby boomer.
What has damaged “our young people” is their government “educations”. Dan, with his really swell grasp of postmodern literary analysis, is suited for a job stocking shelves, except for the fact that he probably lacks the character to do even that job.
There are going to be a lot of dissappointed, pampered “youths” with what passes for a college education today.
That is true. But again, there are only so many of those jobs. Not everyone can be an auto mechanic.
“this will be the lot for our children’s children’s children.”
Not if they are homeschooled.
The verdict is still out on Y’ers, but I believe the downward trend will continue. I’ll give you that.
That’s true, some people are not cut out for it. But I can tell you that there are a lot of kids who COULD do it if they pushed themselves. They just don’t want to because its too hard and they’d rather do other things (like party). And then they complain later on about their employment prospects.
That being said, over time, these things tend to even out. Engineers may start out making more, but they often plateau quickly. On the other hand, the English major may find out he is a natural for sales and earn megabucks.
I am going to qualify my previous comment. Many auto mechanic jobs now require certification training, so it requires some trade school beyond secondary school.
What exactly do you mean by that?
Zero's Commie mom was Silent Generation, he himself and his unlovely wife are Boomers, and most of his voters are X'ers, Gen Y political ingenues, and gracelessly aging New Left and gender-feminist irredeemables.
You have a number of populations here.
But with an engineering education and a little resourcefulness you can find something worthwhile to do. With an english degree, not so much...
“with what passes for a college education today.”
Wow, thats cool. Thanks. HAHAHA.
:-(... I thought I did pretty good as a Gen X’er in parenting...
But you are right, most in my generation spend way too much time justifying why both parents have to work and the kid has to be dumped in daycare at 6 weeks on.
You can even study online to become a Mortician ... or go to a regular collage.
http://www.universities.com/Search/M_Mortician_School.html
I guess it pays to open your mouth and have some luck too.
“who COULD do it if they pushed themselves”
Met plenty of those. Sorry, I take conversations like these to heart and know I shouldn’t. Sore subject for me right now.
Look, some people just aren’t cut out to be workin’ stiffs...
I’d take the engineering degree right now. HAHAHA. It is hard to come by work. I’m just glad I have folks looking out for me that keep coming up with temp work. Head for South Dakota and Wyoming on Monday.
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