Younger generations are begging to be heard as they work more than 40 hours a week and still can’t make ends meet.
While it’s easy for Boomers to say that Gen-Y and -Z are lazy and unmotivated, the reality is that younger generations entering the workforce are deal with a bloated economy. No matter how hard they work, it barely pays off.
One man claimed that Millennials and Gen-Zers are currently struggling more than any other generation
Robbie Scotta Millennial, responded to a TikTok from a Baby Boomer man who pointed out that younger generations are quick to complain about 40-hour work weeks, a system that has been in place for over 80 years.
However, Scott shared strong opinions about how older generations could afford a home and support their families working a 40-hour week, but this is no longer the case for young workers.
“We’re holding up our end of the deal,” Scott said. “We stay in school, we go to college. We’ve been working since we were 15, 16 years old. We’ve built a huge line of credible references doing everything you all told us to do, so we can what? Are we still living with our parents in our early 20s?”
Today, obtaining a bachelor’s and even a master’s degree will not guarantee immediate employment upon graduation. Actually unemployment for new graduates is higher than for the general population, and many entry-level positions require several years of experience.
Scott expressed how Millennials and Gen-Zers make less money than any other generation
What some Boomers don’t understand is that there is a huge wealth gap between their generation and the generations after them.
Even when younger generations and recent graduates manage to find work, they still struggle to earn a living. While the cost of housing and education continue to increase each yearwages are stagnant.
And because these generations grew up with the notion that they had to earn degrees to be successful, they’re also drowning in tens of thousands of dollars in debt while working 9-to-5 jobs that barely make ends meet.
“I know people in their mid-30s who have worked for 20 years,” Scott shared. “That’s 70% of their waking life they’ve worked and they still can’t afford to buy their first home.”
The cost of living is only getting higher and Millennials and Gen-Zers are losing hope
Younger generations are working as hard as they can to make ends meet, finding side jobs and scrambling for additional sources of income to support themselves. They overexert themselves beyond control, contributing 40-80 hours a week just to make ends meet, with little time to dedicate to their personal care.
“We spend more time with colleagues than friends and family,” one TikTok user commented on Scott’s video. “I work 80 hours a week and bring in about 75,000 a year. I make double what my dad made at my age and I still can’t afford a ‘starter’ house,” another person shared.
Millennials and Gen-Zers experience burnout early in life, and they struggle to stay motivated and fulfilled by not only a lack of rewards for their efforts, but also a lack of support and understanding. It has gotten to the point where they are not even sure if they will ever be able to afford a home.
“I’m a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree and still broke. I never make extra and still haven’t been on vacation,” one person commented. “I’m 38, make $115,000 and live in San Diego with two kids and I can’t even pay my… bills every month,” another person commented.
Millennials and Gen-Zers were born into a system that has faced drastic economic inflation, but they are the ones who suffer.
“If Boomers and Gen-X had experienced what it’s like to work as hard as they did and get nothing in return, they’d be able to sit across from us and say, ‘Oh, my God, I feel you,'” Scott said.
The bottom line is that Millennials and Gen-Zers are struggling financially in a way that Boomers and Gen-X never were, and they are desperate for a change in the system.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers topics on lifestyle, human interests and spirituality.
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