Employment Trends

I received a newsletter today at work with some interesting information about employment trends in the United States. Some news was good, but most of it was very disheartening and once again, it made me sad to think that my generation, Gen Y, is in such a terrible state when it comes to getting a job and/or how they are perceived as being a part of the workforce.

Here are some of the facts:

1. Dating in the workplace is losing its taboo status with 38% of workers admitting to dating a coworker at least once in their career. My own parents met in the workplace and their offices were next to  each other for 30 years! Awww... Adorbs. And to top it, over a whopping 18% of these folks admit to dating their supervisor! Scandalous! This takes mixing "business with pleasure" to a whole different level, am I right or am I right? (Research was conducted by CareerBuilder - 2/9/2012).
2. According to managers and HR professionals in the workplace, "professionalism" is extremely poor, especially among young employees. David Polk, PhD, whose firm conducted this study stated, "Business and HR professionals say young employees need to learn to conform to "current standards" of professionalism rather than the standards be modified in response to larger society changes." The top four qualities associated with unprofessionalism are appearance, lack of dedication, attitude of entitlement and a poor work ethic. (Research was conducted by York College - 1/2012)
3. The majority of individuals are increasingly unhappy with their current job position. Over 60% of respondents said they were actively looking for their next job, and only 11.7% said they were really happy with their current job. 19% reported that their job wasn't awful, but not great, and nearly 4% said they weren't sure how much longer they could tolerate their current employer. (Research conducted by The Ladders - 2/10/2012).
4. Fewer young adults have jobs now than any other time since World War II. According to a Pew Research Center report, 45.7% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 are unemployed, with the employment gap between young adults and other adults at an all-time high of almost 15%. While college attendance is part of this equation, the fall in employment has not corresponded with increased enrollment. This trend has caused many young adults to postpone marriage, delay having children and move back in with their parents. (CNN - 2/9/2012).

So once again, it's with a heavy heart that I have to express some deep concern for my generation. What is wrong with our society that we're not learning how to behave in the workplace and be taken seriously as a professional and more importantly, that we can't seem to find a way to give our young folks a chance in the job market.

I wrote a post a while back on some more input regarding this trend among Gen-Y... I'd love to start an internship program at my job or even work with young people some day to try and offer guidance on getting into the professional realm and build a career for themselves.

Tough stuff to read about, but hopefully someday I can help make a difference.

Happy Tuesday!