Less opportunity, benefits, for youth today

A new report discussed in Philadelphia City Hall Thursday shows a tough outlook for many young workers. The national AFL-CIO survey of more than 1,000 workers shows compared to their counterparts in 1999, fewer young workers have enough money to cover their bills and put some money aside.

A new report discussed in Philadelphia City Hall Thursday shows a tough outlook for many young workers. The national AFL-CIO survey of more than 1,000 workers shows compared to their counterparts in 1999, fewer young workers have enough money to cover their bills and put some money aside. It also shows that nearly a third of young workers don’t have health insurance, a 7% jump.

The report, called “Young Workers: A Lost Decade,” rings true for Temple University senior Dan Dunphy, including the finding that one in three young workers live at home with their parents.

Dunphy: I have many friends that I see graduate Temple, they look for a job and they can’t find one. So they temporarily move back in with their parents. They try to find a small job back in their hometowns. They find a smaller job without benefits and the try to make it on their own for a little while and that’s hard particularly coming right out of college where you have so many student loans.

The report comes as lawmakers debate changes to the nation’s healthcare system. Dunphy says healthcare reform would help many young workers.