Junge Menschen lehnen Arbeit ab. Warum?

https://www.ft.com/content/609d3829-30db-4356-bc0e-04ba6ccfa5ed

Von Fox_9810

46 Comments

  1. Fred_Blogs on

    Because inflation has outpaced wage growth for decades now, making work less and less worthwhile. 

  2. EndItAllSoonish on

    No rights, no real pay, no contracts, no hours, high expectations, high responsibility, high workloads, high pressure, bad management and demeaning pointless social ettiquet that makes work longer or harder.

    Did i miss anything?

    Oh terrible application process, it’s horrific to find a job, writing CVs, app forms, cover letters with endless effort and websites made by a third party that don’t work/submit information properly just to be ignored by most companies.

  3. The whole licking corporate boots for bread crumbs while the world is trashed for profit, and people treated like commodities is just not an appealing idea …. shocking isn’t it!

  4. You used to work so that you could afford to buy a house and raise kids. Even with a job kids today will never own their own home and raising children is too expensive, so what’s the incentive?

  5. We went from a man being able to have a full time job and he could support his family. That went to where both parents needed to work to be able to afford to raise a family. Now couples are struggling to afford to support themselves. How is work seen as anything other than something to occupy the masses while the rich buy super yachts.

  6. honkymotherfucker1 on

    I’ve been jobless for ages now over a particularly bad mental health wobble and applying for jobs is absolutely nightmarish.

    Minimum wage 12 hour a week jobs with 25 page applications that won’t let you upload your CV, hundreds if not thousands of applicants and almost never getting a response to whatever point you failed at. It’s horse shit and I hate it, it’s degrading.

    Fucking ASDA of all companies had a 60 question multichoice thing that was obviously written by AI and it makes you do it twice. Then I saw the manager riding the top of a fucking electric pallet truck like a segway to reach the top shelves while I did temp work for them.

    Why the fuck would I want this when being at home has improved my health and mental health ten fold, I’ve lost healthy weight, started at the gym, stopped self harming. Now you’re telling me I’ve got to jump through 100000 hoops to go back to being bossed around by cunty managers with 0 regard for the people around them to the point it takes them literal weeks to remember your name, despite barking orders at you hourly or more.

    Yeah you fucking tell me why no one wants to work. I hate this country, it feels like we’re going down the drain and you want me to contribute to it? Contribute to fucking what?

    Edit: I need to rephrase this last part, it’s more of a disillusionment with the direction of the country and how we have all grinded away for 40 hours a week or more while *nothing* gets better and government officials are embroiled in financial controversy almost weekly. *Not* that I don’t believe in contributing taxes and paying for the very support I receive. That would be fucking stupid and selfish of me I agree.

  7. cieldemiel on

    We’re not rejecting work we just are tired of the job market being so damn competitive, it’s hard if you’re a graduate let alone if you didn’t go to university.

    In fact I’d argue the best way for our generation to get work is through an apprenticeship at the start, although you’re paid peanuts initially.

    I’m working a job I don’t like whilst I apply for grad roles but it really is demoralising sometimes, especially with the constant rejections. Trying to learn how to drive too but instructors are very booked up especially for automatic.

  8. GimmieWavFiles123 on

    I have an engineering degree from one of the best universities in the world and can’t even afford to move out and rent. This is in supposedly one of the most desirable, best-paying fields out there. What’s the point if my money doesn’t buy anything?

    Every little thing is too expensive as well. Inflation is insane, and it often feels like my money doesn’t stretch beyond simple pleasures, which are all but needed to keep sane in this economy

  9. Christian-Metal on

    Why are they using a photo of Borat with his back to us for the thumbnail?

    Asking the real questions here.

  10. NSFWaccess1998 on

    Don’t really think people are “rejecting work” per se. Most people I know are employed and unemployment is still extremely low in historical terms (yes, I know the figures are fudged- but this isn’t new). I think what’s happened is that an increasing number can’t work due to physical/mental health issues. I also think that the cost of housing now makes it very difficult for people to relocate if they can’t find work at home.

  11. I’m not saying everyone’s work situation doesn’t suck but what’s the alternative to working? Living with your parents? Almost 10 million working age people are not working right now. Some are on disability payments or have taken early retirement but how is everyone else getting by?

    If I didn’t work I’d be homeless and I have almost been there a few times. I’ve also been on jobseekers allowance twice in my life and it was the rock bottom and most humiliating experience as I’m qualified and skilled being “advised” by support workers who I myself considered barely employable themselves.

    I find it hard to believe choosing not to work is somehow a lifestyle choice for so many people.

  12. The_Dude_Abides316 on

    Not my generation as i am in my 40s, but if you don’t provide the opportunity for young people to earn capital, they will reject capitalism.

    How much is the average home in 2024, compared to wages? There’s your answer. How much does it cost to go to uni to give yourself a chance to earn higher wages? Meanwhile, public services are crap and the richest have never been richer.

    Frankly, when the game is rigged, there’s no point playing.

  13. “Rejecting work” I am one of these “young people” I would *die* for a good job where I have fair pay, workers rights and a good work environment. Sorry I don’t want to work for barely above minimum wage where 80% of my income would be spent on rent??? I was lucky and joined the military getting a *reasonable* salary. It is ridiculous to expect people who were told as kids that our economy was strong and we could do whatever we’d like with our lives. We have to work 3 different jobs and have no personal life to get by because of the ridiculous greed of older people.

  14. AnalThermometer on

    The devaluing of essential work + inflation is a bad combo. The optics of streamers, influencers, podcasters, tiktokers, grifters and stock gamblers making life changing money with little effort or pure luck while teachers, nurses, etc. struggle has done significant damage. If the deterministic relationship between work and wealth is broken people won’t work. 

  15. bravopapa99 on

    We NEED a revolution, one that brings down CEOs and scum businesses, all should be co-operatives, by law.

  16. OtherManner7569 on

    When you can barely survive working 40 hours what’s the point? You can work zero hours and struggle to survive but at least you have free time. The matter of the fact is that full time work does not pay anymore, not enough to warrant the sacrifice of time lost and stress work causes.

  17. urbanspaceman85 on

    The Tories broke the social contract and ruined countless people’s lives and futures.

  18. EntertainerFirst4711 on

    All work and no play. Even just the price of pints has gone up massively over the past 20 years. I work 12 hour shifts, usually 48 hour weeks sometimes more. Have a couple grand a month as pay. It still doesn’t feel enough. Can afford a nice meal with My girlfriend sometimes but I don’t have much of a lifestyle and I feel think I’m poor.

    Housing is the big thing of course, it’s unaffordable for under 30s. Taxes are ridiculously high and aren’t spent wisely. This may all sound very general and clique but it’s what most people feel from the hundreds of people I talk to. 

  19. pickindim_kmet on

    I had to turn down a job I was pressured into because it was low wages, 2 hours each way commute and long hours. I worked out that if I was to get just 7 hours of sleep each night, I’d have an hour spare time to eat, shower and relax every day.

    So people being pressured into unsuitable jobs is also a factor.

  20. Interesting_Bed_3703 on

    COVID lockdowns gave a lot of people (outside healthcare) an existential crisis. Suddenly, going to school or the office wasn’t necessary. Working from home has been technologically possible for some time; employers dragged their feet because they wanted control.

    For the youngest, who weren’t yet set in their ways, they saw beyond the matrix of working Mon-Fri until you retire into sick old age and die. They began questioning what the point was, now that living that life doesn’t get you a house or a decent income, and generally just generates more and more money for the super rich.

    And fair enough.

  21. Sacredfice on

    Cooperates are looking for slaves.

    People are looking for a job.

    This won’t work lol

  22. We’ve fucked up our youth with piss poor wage, meaningless jobs, short form content and a gutted education system.
    They have drive, no ambition and no idea what to do next.

  23. Or grandparents got ‘looked after’ (generally speaking) by giving 35 years to the same company and getting a comfortable retirement thereafter. Our parents saw this and followed suit, and the companies they dedicated their lives to utterly fucked them over whenever it suited them. We’ve seen this happen to them and understand that companies do not give a single shit about you or the happy life you want to live. So now we work for ourselves and do what is best for us.

  24. Tancred1099 on

    The current working environment could be slightly better so we ain’t gonna bother

  25. PunchUpClimbDown on

    I am an old millennial / young gen X and I do think there are some generational differences that in the last couple of years I’ve been trying to understand. And I’m coming to the conclusion I think I’d feel similarly if I were in their shoes. There’s a blend of a sort of nihilism towards work – why work hard and climb the ladder if it’s unlikely the long term economic benefits will be there (ie you won’t be able to buy a house or have a pension) and it’s quite likely that climate change will make the world very different 20-30 years from now. Some of it also seems to be that their experience from school onwards was different to mind and it has given them a sort of boldness that often has me flabbergasted at work. But again with some of it they’re bloody right (why would any of us work beyond 5pm?!).

    The sorts of differences I see are:

    There is a general tendency from some (not all) of the younger generation not to go above and beyond or put their hand up for an unwanted project that I and my friends of similar age did at that age to get ahead and gain experience. If we were asked to take on a project or junior task we all said yes and did everything we could to impress. I think this is tied to the point about not seeing the economic benefits of working hard. I find it hard to hold it against them.

    They have no fear of upsetting the management above them. I’m not sure what drives this. But they will say stuff to their line manager that has my eyes out on stocks sometimes. Things I still couldn’t say to my manager. And there are no (immediate) consequences for them which has me coming to view it as a sort of assertiveness to advocate for themselves that has me wondering if I’ve been accepting low standards of treatment for myself all along.

    There does seem to be an expectation that me and other managers, when giving them a task to do, will do a lot of work for them of setting out what they need to do when giving them a task, holding their hand through it. Again this is a bit easy to overstate. It’s not all or an absolute. But there definitely does seem to be an element of this. Less willingness to put the work into figuring it out themselves from first principles and expectation that it will be set out for them.

    Obviously all of these are generalisations and I have the pleasure of working with some brilliant and motivated young new workers. But the truth is I do wince when I have to give a task to a younger worker – I almost get a sense from them that I work for them rather than the other way around.

    The real kicker that I’ve been trying to figure out is what will this generation be like as managers themselves? I don’t mean that in a negative way. I mean, how will it change work in the future? It’s quite fascinating

  26. InspectorDull5915 on

    It’s not going to be a problem in the very near future. There aren’t going to be any jobs

  27. virindimaster on

    Never understood why I am paying for my parents being horny! They got horny, I was conceived, now I have bills to pay.

  28. Striking-Passage-752 on

    Because conditions are poor, wages are pathetic and people aren’t paid enough to do anything beyond survive.

    Quite simply, for many, work does not pay.

    Western style democracy doesn’t work anymore. We need a new system.

  29. JamesTiberious on

    Because young people have witnessed many many years of austerity, corruption and general decline in the UK economy.

    Unless the young person can be financially backed by a wealthy enough parent, there’s little chance of ever being able to afford a home. So they’re likely going to live at parents home forever, or pay eye wateringly high rent.

    I absolutely cannot blame young people rejecting it.

    [edit] I really take issue with headlines like this. Is it not pretty much common knowledge that many young people don’t feel there’s much of a positive outlook?

  30. childofzephyr on

    Damn, I wish I could fuckin get a bloody job that’s disability friendly lmao

  31. milkonyourmustache on

    There’s no incentive. The social contract is broken. It took 1 person 20 years while raising a family to pay off their family house and could go on 1-2 family holidays a year. That generation twisted the economy into 2 people both working for 30 years, barely a holiday, for an apartment.

    It’s not worth it.

  32. theflickingnun on

    The question is how can they afford to reject jobs? The answer to this is the actual answer to your question.

  33. Dry-Humor-5268 on

    “Is it worth the aggravation to find yourself a job when there’s nothing worth working for?”

  34. JNMRunning on

    If you provide people with compelling evidence that their work will likely enable them to own a house and comfortably support a family I have no doubt this trend would reverse.

  35. Mediocre-Skill4548 on

    Extremely high cost of living and wage stagnation means you have very little to show for your hard graft. Whereas there are plenty of boomers who bought 10 properties for 50p each, don’t work, and keep increasing the price of renting.

  36. Firm-Distance on

    I’ve a family member looking for work in their early 20’s with a good degree living in a city.

    Looking at what some of the jobs expect, versus what they pay – it’s laughable. Managerial roles, supervising staff, expecting qualifications and previous experience….for a mere £5k above minimum wage.

    Then you look at some *other* jobs where they’re paying £12k above minimum wage, no qualifications required and they’ll train you in house. You need to write a good application and score well in an interview.

    I think some employers just massively undervalue their staff and overestimate what’s required to do their role.

  37. For lots of people, work doesn’t pay. It’s just muscle memory for some people now.

  38. Carbonatic on

    I’m 32 and it never once occurred to me that rejecting work was even an option.

  39. Alarmarama on

    Because it pays F all.

    I earn an above average salary for London and I’ve been working for 10 years. The properties I can afford to buy in London after all this time are still the absolute bottom of the barrel worst and cheapest properties in areas of London you’d never want to live. On an above average income. I’m looking at 1 bedroom flats at best, maybe a tiny 2 bedroom terrace in somewhere like Croydon. And people wonder why nobody is having children??

    The UK is cooked. This was done to us deliberately, by the way. The birth rate has been below replenishment in the UK since the 70s and yet we have a housing crisis. Ask yourself why.

  40. pokemon-player on

    Haven’t read through every comment and I expect this has already been noted but my 2 cents is this….

    They are just smarter than we were at their ages. They already know that most of them will only ever be at the bottom of the ladder. They know that no matter how hard they work they will probably be doing it for a mega corporation that doesn’t even care if they live or die. A company that will always put its profit over its workers.

    I write this seriously doubting myself. I have 2 kids and they are dumb as shit lol they know already that most people are just making the rich richer though. Don’t get me wrong they are also self entitled little assholes but a lot of people are at the ages they are. Social media glorifies all the wrong things in my opinion and is turning the next generation god knows what.

    My point is I don’t think they are doing it out of bone idleness. I think they already understand what took me 38 years to learn. Why should we slog our asses off day in and day for minimal gain? Why am I obsessed with something like a credit score?

    My teens were spent out on the piss and clubbing. Some of the best times of my life. These guys can’t afford that on minimum wage. They are having to learn to make the best of things from pretty much 16 onwards if they don’t want to go into further education. Minimum wage for a 16-18 is £6.40 18-21 is £8.60 and 21+ is £11.40. How the fuck is somebody 16-18 getting almost half of a 21 year old for the same job!? As a 16 year old you COULD have almost the same outgoings as somebody who is 21.

    Don’t get me wrong I don’t think any of this makes it ok to sit around on your ass and do fuck all. I’m just saying that I can see why the lack of motivation is there.

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