About one in three young adults are underemployed according to a new
Gallup survey that found that 32 percent of those 18 to 29 reported they were underemployed in April, a nearly 2 percent jump from March.
The figure, which represents those unemployed and those working part-time but seeking full-time work, has shown little improvement in the past year, while underemployment for all Americans dropped to 18.2 percent in April.
Underemployment in April was 14 percent for those aged 30 to 49 and 13.6 percent for those aged 50 to 64, and 12.7 percent for those 65 or older.
“Today's slow economic growth is a disaster for those unemployed and underemployed as they look for jobs when so few new jobs are being created,” wrote Gallup’s Chief Economist Dennis Jacobe. “For younger Americans as a group, this is a particularly acute issue.
“Nearly one in three young adults in the workforce are not now able to gain full-time job experience. This not only hurts them temporarily, but deprives them of the experience they need to get a better job in the future. It also deprives U.S. companies of the skilled and experienced workers they will need for their businesses to prosper in the years ahead.”
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