Gen Z discussion: Are young workers entitled — or just discouraged?

Young people were told education and hard work were the only ways to succeed — to get a good job and gain financial security. But after graduation, many were met with the bleak reality of low wages, a high cost of living, and jobs that often don’t match their degrees.

This, a Gen Z worker who has been in the freight industry for four years argued, is why it is not true that they are “entitled” but rather “discouraged” after being “lied to” by their schools and parents.

Explaining further, he wrote on r/GenZ: “Many have loads of student debt but can’t find work that pays enough to cover it, which makes them feel frustrated. This all comes from the same people that told them to go to college by any means necessary…even if that means taking out loans that they may not pay back for 10s of years. Gen Z isn’t asking for handouts; they’re simply trying to get the fair pay and opportunities they were promised.”

For Gen Z workers, job hopping was the only way to get big pay raises, he said, because today, staying at one company for too long doesn’t lead to promotions or higher pay anymore.

“Many businesses focus more on profits and cutting costs, leaving workers with little chance to grow within the company”, he said, adding that while job hopping can make Gen Z seem disloyal, the truth is, companies are the same.

On top of that, he noted that schools and parents told them following their passion would lead to a successful career, but the job market doesn’t really work that way.

Entry-level jobs required long hours, but with low pay and no way of climbing up the corporate ladder.

“They’re rejecting unfair conditions. They want jobs that support their mental health, offer fair pay, and provide (them) room to grow,” he said.

“Instead of calling them lazy, maybe we should listen to their concerns and realise they want the same thing: a chance at a better future,” he added.

A 26-year-old commenter who’s planning to go back to school said he tried looking into the return on investment (ROI) of various degrees but said, “It’s like there’s little to absolutely no ROI anymore.”

Another shared that her parents “feel bad” for her, as while she makes more than minimum wage, nothing is attainable anymore, with the price of everything having at least quadrupled — unlike her parents, who were earning minimum wage at the time but could afford a trailer house, and eventually an old house on a full acre lot. /TISG

Read also: Gen Z discussion: Rising living costs are reshaping where young people live