Young Americans Gaining Employment Steam

In a bit of good news to come out of the struggling economy; younger employees are beginning to find jobs once again, despite employers struggling to find money for their budgets. Over the past three months, close to 650,000 Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 were hired across the country. This is the largest increase in employment for that age group since the recession began, with the data being provided by the Labor Department.

During what is being dubbed as the Great Recession, young Americans were the hardest hit group when employment cuts were made. This group of Americans, known by some as the lost generation, recorded the highest unemployment rate back in 2010 for college graduates. In a larger perspective, workers between the ages of 16 and 24 saw their job percentage fall to 44.6 percent compared to the 52.2 percent of those who had jobs at the beginning of the recession.

Ever since the month of August, young Americans have been storming the workforce as they account for sloe to two-thirds of the increase in employment over the previous three months. The rest of the workforce is made up of older workers. Workers who fall in the middle of the pack witnessed their employment drop by 212,000 employees.

The reason for the spike in employment for the younger members of this country is the fact that they are more than likely finding work at retailers, restaurants, and other service-related companies. For whatever reason, the companies in these industries have been increasing their payrolls of late, and they tend to higher younger workers.

Economy experts are warning that the employment revival might not last, especially for those just coming out of college trying to find a job. The reason the turnaround might not last is the fact that another downturn could occur. Even though younger American workers are the first to be hired right now, they typically are the first to be fired, as history shows us.

“This is a promising indication, but the question is whether it will continue,” said Harry Holzer, a professor at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute.

Economic experts are also worried about the quality of jobs that the young workers are being hired for today. Experts warn that young workers are being hired in jobs that do not allow much advancement within the company. They are being trained for entry-level positions and not moving up the ladder. These employees are more than likely working hourly positions for low wages as cashiers and servers.

Experts claim that many younger employees have put their career dreams on hold for the time being so they can make money anyway possible. These employees are finding jobs outside of their career fields or are going back to school in an effort to ride out the economy. Competition for jobs has become fierce amidst younger Americans because there are some who are more qualified than others who are willing to work for cheap wages just to make money.