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Youth Unemployment 23.9%
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Generation Opportunity President Paul Conway on the problems facing America’s youth as they continue the job search.
- Duration 5:03
- Date Oct 5, 2012
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Generation Opportunity President Paul Conway on the problems facing America’s youth as they continue the job search.
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Aren't now committed you love Stewart's might take full of -- by three young people looking for work.
Show up to the interview on time.
-- for young man put on a clean pair of pants and don't show you on the well that goes for young women to.
Baseball caps by the way come off indoors.
Some practical life of course is the real important issue because the youth unemployment right now that rate.
23 point 7% that's for teenagers sixteen through nineteen years old.
Joining us -- Paul -- former chief of staff at the Labor Department and the president generation opportunity.
You know ploy got to tell -- something that I would get these numbers for -- teenagers and America.
Don't way worse than the stuff that sparked the Arab Spring I mean -- teenagers black white it doesn't matter.
Are suffering participation.
In unemployment rates.
Employment to population any metric that you look at.
What's going on.
Here's exactly was going on what's the problem is is they're not enough full time.
Meaningful jobs that are being created at the entry level for some of these folks even the part time jobs.
We see users such intense competition for work the people that have graduate degrees people who have college degrees are actually taking work.
That is usually entry level type of stuff in these are the folks that are left on the cutting floor same exact dynamic is going offer those were eighteen to 29.
In that entire -- today's number for them is eleven point 8% unemployment.
But having said that.
Is there's something fundamentally going on I don't know if you heard Stewart's -- but in a lot of people look around and I don't know maybe every generation does about when you see kids walk around in their in their underwear showing in their attitude is sort of and different.
Is -- something to be said about this particular young generation.
Not having the impetus for the desired -- war.
And our our our flat out reject -- religiously why I think -- advice is very sound.
For all those -- are looking for work but when you take a look at this generation I think they're creative there engaged in -- actually have the discipline to go ahead and make it happen.
I think the problem is the -- is not on them and fault is not on them it's on an economy that's growth are growing.
Wide enough for these people actually get work.
That's really what the story is we're in front of hundreds 2000 these folks all the time we've got over four million of -- FaceBook pages and I gotta tell you something your desire to work is inherently American.
What the problem is is the economy in the president's policies in -- -- in the opportunities for them.
You know we've seen so many different looks like I'll hear so many different figures about student tuition debt load.
What figures are you seeing.
Here's the most important thing when we take a look at the debt load issues and -- hear a lot of the debate here in Washington between Republicans and Democrats especially Democrats saying.
What they want with these young people want is a lower student loan interest -- actually when you ask people what do you want.
What they indicate 64% of them are survey national indicate that they want a full time meaningful job upon.
Graduation that is far more important have a lower student loan interest -- But when they come out there tens of thousands -- dollars -- debt.
And they're faced with the prospect of a series of part time jobs and not full time jobs in order repayable loans.
I gotta tell you know Paul you know -- just kind of experiencing the Occupy Movement.
And talking to a lot of those kids down there a lot of you know really kind of privileged in my mind they go to Columbia they go to NYU.
They -- resistant to the idea of a full time job of describing that happens is not the job of their dreams.
And I think that's problematic.
Well.
Here's a nice thing about it we did an actual.
Question on this on our national survey -- we asked folks.
We asked what would you rather do work on Wall Street or protests on Wall Street only 29%.
Of these folks were actually protests Wall Street to -- one actually get a job on Wall Street.
And we actually pushed -- do you know anybody that's part of this movement only 4% of these folks -- that they actually knew somebody who is part of Occupy Wall Street -- have the street theater.
Down here in New York -- some of these other cities but that doesn't represented generation.
This is the generation that's actually put on the uniform they fought two wars that -- around the world they rebuilt after Katrina I mean -- -- these are -- people that wanna go to work the issues the economy.
And out of interest street -- antics really speaking for.
-- -- -- also start working and young -- I started working at age fifteen to put myself through college does that -- from a -- family.
Are you seeing those attitudes changing in the part of kids are students wanted to work even at a younger age.
Very much so in -- were front of folks first question we get asked is can we come work for it.
Second question we get -- imported vice do you have about employers in our area because we're talking to small business medium sized business people all over the country all the time.
And what you see -- a real desire hey I wanna start my career get my skills going in high school because they see that when they look at their older Brothers and sisters.
As a potential leg up.
As they're going into school because they just are certain about jobs.
Paul you know you brought us some great points in you know we're -- wanna have you back on.
Some of the trends kind of go -- what you're saying but we have to be you know the point you brought up about these kids and what they've done young people in this country.
You're absolutely right it is a shame an awful shame that there are more opportunities out there Paul Connelly thanks -- -- we appreciate.