Unemployment: Starting Younger and Younger (Original Draft)

Ashlee Phillips

According to the Federal Reserve, our unemployment rate in the United States is at the

lowest it has ever been. As an entire population, we are down to 3.5%. Many are celebrating this

news, however, if we have about 327.2 million people in the United States, that is still about 11.5

million people who are without jobs and those are only the ones we know of. If you were one of

these 11.5 million people, you might agree that unemployment is still an issue.

Some may think only adults are unemployed, but according to the website, Statista, as of

January 2019, people 16 to 24 years old have the highest unemployment rate at 8.4% (Duffin,

2020). When we hear of people being unemployed we don’t often think of the younger
generation, but it’s occurring at an alarming rate. In the article, “Young Unemployment Is Down,

But Are Young People Actually Working?” Veronique de Rugy explains that although the

unemployment rate is dropping in the United states as a whole, the unemployment of our youth

is an underlying problem. One of the key factors in this trend is “the increase in minimum wages

at the state and local level. Research shows that this policy reduces employers' incentive to hire

relatively low-skilled workers—including, of course, inexperienced teenagers” (2019). Many

may think some of these youth and young adults choose not to work, although this could be true,

there are also many people who won’t hire them. On the other hand, the teenagers and young

adults who do get hired are stuck with minimum wage jobs that require low skills, making it

harder for them to get their foot in the door of a career. These situations cause an increase in the

possibility of our younger generation finding themselves unemployed.

The effects of unemployment can be life changing, whether you are young or old.

According to Rose Johnson, from Career Trend, unemployment can cause different severities of

stress and depression. The inability to pay bills, especially as a young adult, can take a toll on

anyone’s mental health (2017). The longer people are unemployed the worse their mental health

and sometimes their physical health may become. In the article, “Unemployment and Job

Displacement: The Impact On Families and Children”, written by Ariel Kalil, it states “Job loss

also negatively affects adults’ physical and mental health, marital relationships, and increases the

likelihood of divorce” (2005). Countless people, including our younger generation, find

themselves suffering from many of these effects.

How can we allow our young population to start out the early years of their adult lives in

this situation? There have been countless local and national organizations put into place to help
those who are unemployed. Some of these organizations are Temporary Assistance For Needy

Families (TANF), financial aid welfare programs, and the Department of Workforce Services.

An example of someone who has benefited from the Department of Workforce Services

is David Dyatt. He is 54 years-old and has been unemployed since November of 2019. Over the

past few months he has used the Department of Workforce Services in hopes to improve himself

and find a job. David describes that Workforce Services is an amazing resource for those of any

age who are either unemployed or underemployed; people who have a job, but aren’t receiving

enough money. For those who are unemployed, they offer unemployment insurance, which is

paid by employers. They provide David and his family a certain amount of money every week

and have also paid $4,200 for him to take certification training to increase the likelihood of

getting a job. According to the Department of Workforce Services, they provide “job preparation

workshops and labs to assist with job searching, resume writing, interviewing, networking,

LinkedIn and their Work Success program” (2018). David also shares that people from the age of

18 to 24 can register for Workforce Services and they will look at the circumstances of these

young people, and depending on need, may pay for a good chunk of their college education. In

some cases they can help pay for trade school, technician school, beauty school, or even a four-

year college degree. David expresses, “These are the best resources. No cost, just your time” (D.

Dyatt, personal communication, February 17, 2020). There are countless free services like these

that people aren't aware of, making it difficult for individuals to take advantage of them.

In January of 2020, the total amount of unemployment insurance that was paid in the

United States was $2.95 billion (2020). This is a perfect example of the welfare that is offered

within the United States. This money comes from the taxes of each U.S. citizen. Billions of

dollars are offered each month, but how many people know that this is available? This resource
is a huge help for those who find themselves in this kind of situation, but it is intended as a short-

term solution while families get back on their feet. If we can solve some of these issues, we may

be able to decrease unemployment at a younger age.

Even though unemployment is at an all-time low, there are still large numbers of families

and individuals who are struggling with the effects of not having a job. The ongoing

consequences of this may lead to an issue with our younger generations, where they could end up

relying entirely on these programs as they get older. We must teach them that these resources

have been put in place to help them get out of a bad situation. We need to come together and

work as a nation to help the young and improve the future.

References
Department of Workforce Services. (2018). Retrieved March 14, 2020, from

https://www.visitparkcity.com/listing/department-of-workforce-services/22002/

Department of Workforce Services. (2020). Retrieved March 14, 2020, from

https://jobs.utah.gov/index.html

Duffin, E. (2020, January 30). U.S. unemployment rate by age 1990-2019. Retrieved March

12, 2020, from https://www-statista-com.libprox1.slcc.edu/statistics/217882/us-

unemployment-rate-by-age/

Duffin, E. (2020, March 2). Total unemployment benefits paid in the U.S. 2019-2020.

Retrieved March 12, 2020, from https://www-statista-

com.libprox1.slcc.edu/statistics/284857/total-unemployment-benefits-paid-in-the-us/

Federal Open Market Committee. (2019, December 11). Retrieved March 21, 2020, from

https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcprojtabl20191211.htm

Financial Assistance. (2020). Retrieved March 12, 2020, from

https://www.benefits.gov/categories/Financial Assistance

Johnson, R. (2017, September 28). The Impact of Unemployment on an Individual. Retrieved

March 9, 2020, from https://careertrend.com/the-impact-of-unemployment-on-an-

individual-12598959.html

Kalil, A. (2005). Retrieved March 11, 2020, from

https://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/unemployment-and-job-displacement-the-

impact-on-families-and-children/
Rugy, V. de. (2019, May 6). Youth Unemployment Is Down, but Are Young People Actually

Working? Retrieved March 14, 2020, from https://reason.com/2019/05/16/youth-

unemployment-is-down-but-are-young-people-actually-working/

Utah TANF Application. (2020). Retrieved March 13, 2020, from

https://www.tanfprogram.com/utah-tanf-application-ta44
 Unemployment: Starting Younger and Younger (Revised Draft)

Ashlee Phillips

“The youth are the ones who make the future.” This common phrase is poured into the

ears of our young generation. How can these youth and young adults be the future if so many of

them are unemployed? “Today’s young generation continues to be left behind when it comes to

education and employment” (UN, 2019). We must help to provide them with as many resources

as we can.

Some may think only adults are unemployed, but according to the website, Statista, as of

January 2019, people 16 to 24 years old have the highest unemployment rate at 8.4% (Duffin,

2020). When we hear of people being unemployed we don’t often think of the younger
generation. In the article, “Young Unemployment Is Down, But Are Young People Actually

Working?” Veronique de Rugy explains that although the unemployment rate is dropping in the

United states as a whole, the unemployment of our youth is an underlying problem. One of the

key factors in this trend is the increase in minimum wage jobs. “This policy reduces employers'

incentive to hire relatively low-skilled workers—including, of course, inexperienced teenagers”

(2019). Many may think some of these youth and young adults choose not to work, although this

could be true, there are also many people who won’t hire them. On the other hand, the teenagers

and young adults who do get hired are stuck with minimum wage jobs that require low skills,

making it harder for them to get their foot in the door of a career. These situations cause an

increase in the possibility of our younger generation finding themselves unemployed.

The effects of unemployment can be life changing, whether you are young or old.

According to Rose Johnson, from Career Trend, unemployment can cause different severities of

stress and depression. The inability to pay bills, especially as a young adult, can take a toll on

anyone’s mental health (2017). The longer people are unemployed the worse their mental health

and sometimes their physical health may become. Countless people, including our younger

generation, may find themselves struggling with their health because of this hardship.

How can we allow our young population to start out the early years of their adult lives in

this situation? This is a sad reality they may end up facing, but there is hope for them. In March

of 2020, the total amount of unemployment insurance, or welfare, that was paid in the United

States was $3.89 billion (2020). This money comes from the taxes of each U.S. citizen and is

funded into unemployment programs. Billions of dollars are offered each month, but how many

people know that this is available? This resource is a huge help for those who find themselves in

this kind of situation, but it is intended as a short-term solution while families get back on their
feet. If we can solve some of these issues, we may be able to decrease unemployment at a

younger age.

The young people of this generation must know about the important programs that our

country offers. A very helpful organization that has been put in place is the Department of

Workforce Services. An example of someone who has benefited from this organization is David

Dyatt. He is 54 years-old and has been unemployed since November of 2019. Over the past few

months he has used the Department of Workforce Services in hopes to improve himself and find

a job. David describes that Workforce Services offers unemployment insurance to those without

a job. They provide David and his family a certain amount of money every week and have also

paid $4,200 for him to take certification training to increase the likelihood of getting a job.

According to the Department of Workforce Services, they provide “job preparation workshops
and labs to assist with job searching, resume writing, interviewing, networking, LinkedIn, and

their Work Success program” (2018). David also shares that people from the age of 18 to 24 can

register for Workforce Services and they will look at the circumstances of these young people,

and depending on need, may pay for a good chunk of their college education. They will only

help pay for part of college if these youth and young adults take the time to attend their helpful

workshops. They don’t just want to give you money for school, they want to teach you how to be

successful in hopes to decrease the chance of you needing to rely on these types of organizations

when you are older. David shares,“These are the best resources. No cost, just your time” (D.

Dyatt, personal communication, February 17, 2020). There are countless free services like these

that people aren't aware of, making it difficult for individuals to take advantage of them.

There have been countless local and national organizations put into place to help those

who are unemployed. Some of these organizations are Temporary Assistance For Needy

Families (TANF), financial aid welfare programs, and different religious organizations.

Even though unemployment is at an all-time low, there are young people who are slowly

inching toward the path of unemployment. The ongoing consequences of this may lead to them

relying entirely on these unemployment programs as they get older. We must teach them that

these resources have been put in place to help them get out of a bad situation. We need to come

together and work as a nation to help the young and improve the future.

References

Department of Workforce Services. (2018). Retrieved March 14, 2020, from

https://www.visitparkcity.com/listing/department-of-workforce-services/22002/
Department of Workforce Services. (2020). Retrieved March 14, 2020, from

https://jobs.utah.gov/index.html

Duffin, E. (2020, January 30). U.S. unemployment rate by age 1990-2019. Retrieved March

12, 2020, from https://www-statista-com.libprox1.slcc.edu/statistics/217882/us-

unemployment-rate-by-age/

Duffin, E. (2020, March 2). Total unemployment benefits paid in the U.S. 2019-2020.

Retrieved March 12, 2020, from https://www-statista-

com.libprox1.slcc.edu/statistics/284857/total-unemployment-benefits-paid-in-the-us/

Financial Assistance. (2020). Retrieved March 12, 2020, from

https://www.benefits.gov/categories/Financial Assistance

Johnson, R. (2017, September 28). The Impact of Unemployment on an Individual. Retrieved

March 9, 2020, from https://careertrend.com/the-impact-of-unemployment-on-an-

individual-12598959.html

Rugy, V. de. (2019, May 6). Youth Unemployment Is Down, but Are Young People Actually

Working? Retrieved March 14, 2020, from https://reason.com/2019/05/16/youth-

unemployment-is-down-but-are-young-people-actually-working/

United Nations. (2019, February 20). The Generation That Can Change The World - If We

Let Them. Retrieved April 27, 2020, from

https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/social/world-youth-report-2.html
Utah TANF Application. (2020). Retrieved March 13, 2020, from

https://www.tanfprogram.com/utah-tanf-application-ta44