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By Sam Ast
As part two of our continuing blog series analyzing the findings of the Goodwill Industries International (GII) and McKinsey 2024 American Opportunity Survey results, this piece will focus on the numerous challenges faced by American youth when it comes to employment. Among other things, this article will look at the skills and experience gap of today’s young job seekers, consider the mental health struggles impacting individuals and explore other financial or environmental factors that contribute to keeping younger generations out of the job market and labor force entirely. Youth respondents reported a general lack of understanding related to basic job searching techniques and where to look for work opportunities to begin with. This evidence, coupled with the various common roadblocks mentioned above, serves to compound this societal issue. Keep reading to learn more.
How Do We Define Youth?
First, this survey defines “youth” as between the ages of 18-24. This is important for several reasons, one being that many individuals decide to attend educational or training opportunities during these years. Aside from the traditional four-year college pathway, there are innumerable vocational programs and apprenticeship opportunities that differ in both time commitment and cost of attendance. In fact, the survey found that this age group is highly motivated to learn and obtain the necessary credentials needed for career placement and advancement, despite the obstacles they face. Importantly, many youths are a few years into their early twenties before even beginning their employment search. However, before we discuss the struggles faced by this demographic in finding work, let’s dive deeper into one of the most central hurdles keeping these individuals at bay.
A Gap in Skills
One important factor to consider is the disparate outcomes students can face post-graduation. While some find work quickly and without incident, others are increasingly finding that there is a growing mismatch between traditional education and the skills needed to function in today’s labor economy. Combine this with the crisis in affordability and accessibility of education, more generally, and what you have is a terrible mixture of people missing out on the right learning opportunities for the job market, racking up insurmountable student debt and ultimately, lacking the in-demand skills necessary to compete for the available jobs. In fact, around 49% of youth respondents say that their shortfalls in terms of skills and experience are the main reasons they feel shut out from earning a paycheck.
Lack of Stability
The barriers to youth employment do not stop at the institutional or educational level. Declining feelings of stability are also rated as impacting youths’ efforts to become productive workers. Matters of behavioral and emotional health, transportation, childcare and general finances continue to contribute in detrimental ways to the employment landscape for younger generations. It is not hard to imagine a single parent unable to go to class due to an issue with the babysitter, a broken-down car or apprehension about taking out too many student loans. Until these basic building blocks of steadiness are properly constructed, young people will have a hard time finding their footing and preparing for the world of work.
The Increasingly Complex Job Search
Even those lucky enough to have all of the requisite pieces fall into place would be mistaken to feel immune from the forces keeping others down. Many respondents indicated that it is not just the preparation, education, skills or finances that influence their career searches. Knowing how to look for work is still a challenge, especially given how complex the online job market has become. This means that more assistance and tutoring for young people concerning where and how to look for work is needed, and time must be set aside by the individual themselves to develop quality résumés, efficiently search for job openings and develop soft skills necessary to excel during interviews.
How Goodwill® Can Help
This is why it is important to have support. For youth who would like additional guidance during the job search or have questions about how to advance their careers, look no further than the professionals that staff Goodwill’s many career centers.
Goodwill personnel can help individuals craft résumés, find employment, practice interview skills and connect to needed resources or support. This aid can help individuals overcome challenges and improve their job prospects. What’s more, our career navigators are committed to offering career guidance, skills certification, application help, continuing education assistance, interview preparation and financial aid that can enable youth job seekers to succeed on their journey to find work.
Remember, you are not alone on this journey. If you need assistance or counseling regarding any of your employment needs or questions, we are here for you. Connect to your local Goodwill career center to get started.
