According to a recent news report, 1 in 15 people under the age of 25 – roughly 1.2million people – are now claiming sickness benefits.
This is said to be a rise of two thirds in five years and is mainly attributed to mental health struggles. Around 25% of Gen Z that is employed, is also considering quitting the workforce altogether.
I read the article, which had testimonies from several young 20 somethings who gave their own accounts of struggling to work, as well as to find employment in the first place. And then I also read a satirical piece from an online comedy channel that had had a field day with the same news report, lampooning the attitudes of Gen Z, as well as the expectations from older generations.
At times, it was hard to tell the difference between the two. The satire poked fun at young people who aspire to be an influencer or dream about writing the next Netflix hit rather than getting a ‘proper job’ or saving for a pension, but also reminded older readers that they may have had similar naïve aspirations in their youth.
But then one of the testimonies in the serious article, written by a 23-year-old freelance ‘writer and poet’, described her ‘professional disheartenment’, ‘burnout’ and stress at feeling ‘constantly on the edge of prolonged unproductivity’.
Another, who had a job as a receptionist, described having to take a mental health day because the global news was causing her too much anxiety. But then she couldn’t relax because she felt too guilty about taking time off, so spent the day in bed becoming even more anxious instead.
I’m not for one minute belittling the mental health struggles of young people, because I think many have been negatively impacted by the Covid lockdown and exposure to social media, and with house prices and war and climate change and AI taking their jobs, they do have a lot to worry about.
It’s just that the very next headline that caught my eye was the death, at 105, of the last remaining Battle of Britain pilot, John ‘Paddy’ Hemmingway, who joined the RAF as a teenager and at 21 was in action against the Luftwaffe. Throughout the war he was shot down multiple times and once had to bail out at low altitude. His parachute failed to open but he was saved because it was caught on the branches of a tree.
Would today’s Gen Z display the same amount of stiff upper lip as Paddy?
As I write this, I’m painfully aware that it’s only old people like myself that read newspapers these days, and headlines about ‘snowflakes’ and the glory days of WWII are precisely the kind of thing that keep us paying for the subscription.
But, when you consider the ongoing skills crisis in the fenestration industry, and across construction, it does perhaps lead to a broader discussion on why so many sectors are struggling to attract and then retain young people into the workforce.
Are the attitudes of Gen Z to blame? Answers on a postcard…
25% of Gen Z considering quitting workforce
According to a recent news report, 1 in 15 people under the age of 25 – roughly 1.2million people – are now claiming sickness benefits.
This is said to be a rise of two thirds in five years and is mainly attributed to mental health struggles. Around 25% of Gen Z that is employed, is also considering quitting the workforce altogether.
I read the article, which had testimonies from several young 20 somethings who gave their own accounts of struggling to work, as well as to find employment in the first place. And then I also read a satirical piece from an online comedy channel that had had a field day with the same news report, lampooning the attitudes of Gen Z, as well as the expectations from older generations.
At times, it was hard to tell the difference between the two. The satire poked fun at young people who aspire to be an influencer or dream about writing the next Netflix hit rather than getting a ‘proper job’ or saving for a pension, but also reminded older readers that they may have had similar naïve aspirations in their youth.
But then one of the testimonies in the serious article, written by a 23-year-old freelance ‘writer and poet’, described her ‘professional disheartenment’, ‘burnout’ and stress at feeling ‘constantly on the edge of prolonged unproductivity’.
Another, who had a job as a receptionist, described having to take a mental health day because the global news was causing her too much anxiety. But then she couldn’t relax because she felt too guilty about taking time off, so spent the day in bed becoming even more anxious instead.
I’m not for one minute belittling the mental health struggles of young people, because I think many have been negatively impacted by the Covid lockdown and exposure to social media, and with house prices and war and climate change and AI taking their jobs, they do have a lot to worry about.
It’s just that the very next headline that caught my eye was the death, at 105, of the last remaining Battle of Britain pilot, John ‘Paddy’ Hemmingway, who joined the RAF as a teenager and at 21 was in action against the Luftwaffe. Throughout the war he was shot down multiple times and once had to bail out at low altitude. His parachute failed to open but he was saved because it was caught on the branches of a tree.
Would today’s Gen Z display the same amount of stiff upper lip as Paddy?
As I write this, I’m painfully aware that it’s only old people like myself that read newspapers these days, and headlines about ‘snowflakes’ and the glory days of WWII are precisely the kind of thing that keep us paying for the subscription.
But, when you consider the ongoing skills crisis in the fenestration industry, and across construction, it does perhaps lead to a broader discussion on why so many sectors are struggling to attract and then retain young people into the workforce.
Are the attitudes of Gen Z to blame? Answers on a postcard…
Glass Times
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