What has poor Gen Z done wrong this time? They’re bad at going out, apparently. I can see how covid lockdowns didn’t do them any favors, but mostly I think it’s because they lack work experience.
Stay with me; I promise this isn’t another “kids these days” rant. Think of your classic teenage first jobs. I worked retail (hardware store, music store) but have friends who worked at grocery stores, restaurants, pizza places. What do these jobs have in common? They’re all part time, low-wage, and involve customer service. For at least the last 15 years, starting with the 2008 financial crisis, these jobs have been worked by folks who would prefer full-time employment but aren’t able to find it. Teens have been pushed out of their traditional labor market by adults who are working 2, 3, even 4 part-tine jobs to support their families.1 Clocking time behind a register or on the other side of a counter inevitably shifts your mindset about your fellow service workers. Regardless of individuals’ work ethics, these jobs simply have not been available to Gen Z the way they have to other generations.2
Of course Gen Z is struggling to adjust to adulthood. They’ve had far less practice at it than perhaps any other generation in history. I’m only surprised by how many different ways the rest of us are affected.
Liz Welsh 