The plight of young American workers today is not promising. A survey sponsored by the AFL-CIO found that a third of the labor force under 35 lives at home and is lacking health care benefits and job security. For those with annual incomes under $30,000, the number living at home rises to 52%.

 

About 25% of this age group says they don’t make enough money to cover their monthly bills. It’s not surprising then that only 55% of respondents said they are hopeful about the next five years. When the same question was asked 10 years ago, 77% said they felt good about their prospects. When asked who is to blame for the economic crisis, young workers were most likely to name President George W. Bush, Wall Street and banks, and corporate CEOs.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Young Workers in Free Fall: 1/3 Under 35 Live with Parents (by Art Levine, Today’s Workplace)

Young Workers: A Lost Decade (AFL-CIO) (pdf)