More years of study for more precarious jobs and a lower standard of living than their parents? That’s the sad picture for those under 30 today. To be displayed instead of a sometimes tempting "Ok boomer".
This is the "rant of a young slacker" pushed by journalist Salomé Saqué on Twitter: if young people complain, it is because they have good reasons. The figures show that young people are not a lazy generation, but that they live in a context where many things are more difficult for them than their elders.
Economist David Cayla writes about this data at Twitter : "The problem is not that it would be necessary to make a reform of pensions or to punish the elderly. The problem is the collapse of quality employment (not precarious and correctly paid) and the difficulties of professional integration that is experiencing the youth". Hard to be under 30 in the 2020s.
More unemployment and more precarious jobs
Salomé Saqué notes that many people criticize young people for not "moving", of not working in order to get by. She dismantles these arguments with striking figures. For example, in 1980 the unemployment rate for 15-24 year olds was only 11%. It is 20% in 2020.
"Jobs are less well paid and there are fewer jobs at all" underlines the journalist.
Maybe we should extend the duration of studies? This is already the case, notes Salomé Saqué. However, study conditions are deteriorating, as we have seen with the warning signals launched in November 2020 by students concerning university infrastructure.
In addition, it would seem, warns the journalist that with the proliferation of people holding a master's degree, diplomas make it less possible to stand out. What she sums up of a lapidary "study more to earn less".
Finally, jobs today are much less stable than those of previous generations. It is therefore difficult to project serenely into the future when we see the spectacular increase in precarious jobs. Difficult to buy a home, or even to start a family when you fear what tomorrow will bring.
The first generation to live less well than its parents
On average, today's under 30s will have a lower standard of living than their predecessors. Salomé Saqué, like the economist David Cayla, warns of this collapse in living standards. The goal is obviously not to train the generations among themselves, but to become aware of the urgency of the situation: young people seem very legitimate to call for help!
These fears are all the stronger as it is the under-30s of 2021 who will have to deal with the consequences of the ongoing climate crisis. With these numbers, we can better understand the popularity of the phrase "Ok boomer": young people are doing what they can in the world that has been left to them, please stop overwhelming them.