Dec 26, 2024
Young people are caught in a vicious cycle whereby they can’t work because of their poor mental health and their mental health is deteriorating because they can’t work, according to the NatWest Youth Index, an annual study published by the UK bank.
According to the report, over 20% of 16- to 25-year-olds missed either school or work over the past year due to psychological issues — and some young people even avoid applying to jobs, with 18% of the age bracket not sending resumés and 12% missing interviews because of anxiety, depression or other reasons.
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And missing out on work opportunities is making their mental health even worse: 43% of study respondents said the cost of living has caused them negative psychological effects.
It’s not as if this cohort doesn't want to work. The majority of Gen Z respondents, 62%, said they think having a job would actually be better for their mental health.
Poor mental health leading to diminished employment prospects leading to even worse mental health — the situation would seem to be a classic rock-and-hard-place scenario.
Age of anxiety
Gen Z has significantly more pronounced mental health issues compared to other generations, even when compared to millennials, a 2023 McKinsey study showed.
High use of social media may be making the generation born between 1995 and 2012 more isolated and lonely, the study found, though access to health professionals and wellness apps could mean social media isn’t having only one type of impact on young people.
One theory accounting for zoomers’ struggles involves what some called the “age of anxiety,” in which these young people grew up.
According to children’s wellbeing organization The Anney E. Casey Foundation, the fallout from the pandemic severely impacted kids’ mental health, and more so for those from lower-income families.
“Youth who grow up in poverty are two to three times more likely to develop mental health conditions than their peers,” the foundation’s report said.
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Isolation and remembering the basics
The news isn’t all bad for Gen Z in the workforce.
Today’s teens are actually enjoying higher labor-force participation rate than millennials did when they were in high school, Axios reporting shows.
But they’re facing a harder time adapting once they show up to their jobs: Talent acquisition firm AMS found that managers believed 40% of young people are unprepared for the workplace.
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William Koblensky Varela is a Staff Reporter at Wise who has worked as a journalist for seven years covering finance, local news, politics, legal issues and the environment.
