The top 5 reasons why it sucks to be young in America right now.
We've teamed up with the Young Entrepreneur Council to help bring awareness to their campaign #FixYoungAmerica. Because right now, the economic situation has made it really difficult for young people in America to prosper. The campaign wants to harness all the creativity you have as a young person and help increase opportunity for young people.
1. Unemployment is hitting you especially hard.
Young people between the ages of 18-24 are suffering from a 60-year low unemployment rate. Only 54.3% of people that age range are employed. That is the lowest level since the government started tracking this data in 1948.
2. Those of you who do get jobs, have to get them for the wrong reasons.
Half of the young people surveyed said that they took a job they didn't want to just to pay the bills. 24% of them also said that they took unpaid jobs just to be able to gain experience. Underemployment has become a huge issue with young people.
3. You're quitting on the job market and racking up your debt.
More than 35% of people are going back to school due to the economy. This has contributed to student loans exceeding credit card debt in America. Student debt is approaching $1 trillion.
4. You're moving back with your parents, and having to delay having your own family!
25 % of young people moved back in with their parents, AFTER they were already living on their own. Even worse, 31% of young americans were postponing getting married or having a baby, due to the bad economic circumstances.
5. You want to start your own business, but you're not getting help.
The YEC and Buzz Marketing Group's 2011 annual survey found that 88% of young people thought entrepreneurship is important. That is reflected in the fact that 33% of people were self-employed, up from 26% in 2010. However, only 26% of you got any classes on entrepreneurship. Even among those who did take entrepreneurship, 72% of you thought they were insufficient.
So what can you do? Go to the campaign's website and tweet "Help @TheYEC #FixYoungAmerica: http://IndieGoGo.com/FixYoungAmerica" to help promote the Young Entrepreneur Council's campaign. There's a lot of energy and creativity in America's youth and you can make a difference!
