Too many of the next generation ready to be a burden on their families and society by Rita Panahi Lyrics
Too many of the next generation ready to be a burden on their families and society
Rita Panahi, Herald Sun
September 19, 2016 12:00am
WELL done, Australia. You’ve raised a generation of entitled, do-nothing layabouts lacking both ambition and work ethic; youngsters destined to be a burden on their families and the wider community for years to come.
Dubbed NEETs (not in employment, education or training), there are more than half-a-million of these able-bodied teenagers and young adults who feel no compulsion to contribute to society.
According to an OECD report released this month, a staggering one in eight aged 15 to 29 is neither working nor studying.
The most worrying aspect of the data isn’t just the considerable size of the group but that the research indicates most are not even looking for a job. Only 41 per cent are seeking employment; the remainder are either inactive or unwilling to work or look for a job.
At 12.8 per cent, the youth unemployment rate is more than twice the figure of the official jobless rate of 5.6 per cent.
Last week, we were introduced to a couple of NEETs in the form of dole-bludging duo Ashleigh and Amy.
“I don’t want to work my whole life and just die ... I want more than that,” said 21-year- old Ashleigh. “I would tell you it’s hard to get a job, but to be honest, I don’t even try.
“Centrelink pays my rent and that’s all I need.”
The joyfully jobless Ashleigh sees no appeal in joining the workforce and is on the way to achieving her stated goal of never getting a job. “We normally go driving or chill at Macca’s but I’ll die before I spend my time in an office,” she said.
Her pal, Amy, miraculously managed to find work but was sacked when she failed to show up.
“They pay you nothing so why would I rock up?” she said.
“I call in sick when I’m over it and then they just get rid of me. Not fair, really, because I just want to have a good time and chill. But I don’t want to be fired.”
One can only hope these young ladies are not representative of the NEET generation because if their attitude to work and life is typical, then the nation is doomed.
Who is to blame for this societal malaise? Is it our over-generous welfare, or the education system? Or is it primarily a parenting problem?
There is plenty of blame to go around, but there is little doubt that junior leaners are enabled by permissive parents who, along with long-suffering taxpayers, are financially supporting these idle layabouts.
It should surprise no one that indulged children who rarely hear the word “no” grow up to be entitled individuals who think most jobs are beneath them.
If you are young, without children, and not enrolled in a course of some description, you should be required to go where the work is: whether that be to rural areas to work on farms or across town to work in a factory.
Those unwilling to take such opportunities should not retain their welfare benefits.
It’s absurd that farmers struggle to find people to pick fruit every season when we have hundreds of thousands of unemployed youngsters physically capable of doing work that ends up being completed by foreigners.
The trend of young adults refusing to leave home can be a problematic one.
One doubts the likes of Ashleigh and Amy could maintain their carefree existence on paltry unemployment benefits were it not for well-meaning parents allowing their indolent offspring to scrounge off them.
Back in my day, some time in the last century, it was typically your ethnic minorities who chose to stay at home. But there was normally a purpose behind this “arrested development”.
It wasn’t just laziness or mum’s home cooking that kept first and second-generation Australians at home long after they graduated from high school. It was the desire to save for their own home.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal half of those aged 18 to 24 have not left their parents’ side; one in three 18- to 34-year-olds has never left home.
Financial considerations, particularly for those studying, make the decision to stay at home an attractive one. But parents should impose a few conditions on children who desire to be dependants well into their 20s.
Contributing to the household budget, or alternatively saving for a home of their own, should be part of the bargain.
Ignore the usual bleating about housing affordability: every hardworking young person can buy a property if they lower their expectations and are willing to start small instead of expecting to purchase their home in their dream suburb first up.
One only needs to look at home ownership rates among migrant communities to know what is possible if you prioritise purchasing a property above other aspirations or luxuries such as travel.
That we have raised 580,000 NEETs is cause for considerable concern. But let’s not overlook the many youngsters keen to seize the opportunities on offer in the lucky country.
Rita Panahi, Herald Sun
September 19, 2016 12:00am
WELL done, Australia. You’ve raised a generation of entitled, do-nothing layabouts lacking both ambition and work ethic; youngsters destined to be a burden on their families and the wider community for years to come.
Dubbed NEETs (not in employment, education or training), there are more than half-a-million of these able-bodied teenagers and young adults who feel no compulsion to contribute to society.
According to an OECD report released this month, a staggering one in eight aged 15 to 29 is neither working nor studying.
The most worrying aspect of the data isn’t just the considerable size of the group but that the research indicates most are not even looking for a job. Only 41 per cent are seeking employment; the remainder are either inactive or unwilling to work or look for a job.
At 12.8 per cent, the youth unemployment rate is more than twice the figure of the official jobless rate of 5.6 per cent.
Last week, we were introduced to a couple of NEETs in the form of dole-bludging duo Ashleigh and Amy.
“I don’t want to work my whole life and just die ... I want more than that,” said 21-year- old Ashleigh. “I would tell you it’s hard to get a job, but to be honest, I don’t even try.
“Centrelink pays my rent and that’s all I need.”
The joyfully jobless Ashleigh sees no appeal in joining the workforce and is on the way to achieving her stated goal of never getting a job. “We normally go driving or chill at Macca’s but I’ll die before I spend my time in an office,” she said.
Her pal, Amy, miraculously managed to find work but was sacked when she failed to show up.
“They pay you nothing so why would I rock up?” she said.
“I call in sick when I’m over it and then they just get rid of me. Not fair, really, because I just want to have a good time and chill. But I don’t want to be fired.”
One can only hope these young ladies are not representative of the NEET generation because if their attitude to work and life is typical, then the nation is doomed.
Who is to blame for this societal malaise? Is it our over-generous welfare, or the education system? Or is it primarily a parenting problem?
There is plenty of blame to go around, but there is little doubt that junior leaners are enabled by permissive parents who, along with long-suffering taxpayers, are financially supporting these idle layabouts.
It should surprise no one that indulged children who rarely hear the word “no” grow up to be entitled individuals who think most jobs are beneath them.
If you are young, without children, and not enrolled in a course of some description, you should be required to go where the work is: whether that be to rural areas to work on farms or across town to work in a factory.
Those unwilling to take such opportunities should not retain their welfare benefits.
It’s absurd that farmers struggle to find people to pick fruit every season when we have hundreds of thousands of unemployed youngsters physically capable of doing work that ends up being completed by foreigners.
The trend of young adults refusing to leave home can be a problematic one.
One doubts the likes of Ashleigh and Amy could maintain their carefree existence on paltry unemployment benefits were it not for well-meaning parents allowing their indolent offspring to scrounge off them.
Back in my day, some time in the last century, it was typically your ethnic minorities who chose to stay at home. But there was normally a purpose behind this “arrested development”.
It wasn’t just laziness or mum’s home cooking that kept first and second-generation Australians at home long after they graduated from high school. It was the desire to save for their own home.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal half of those aged 18 to 24 have not left their parents’ side; one in three 18- to 34-year-olds has never left home.
Financial considerations, particularly for those studying, make the decision to stay at home an attractive one. But parents should impose a few conditions on children who desire to be dependants well into their 20s.
Contributing to the household budget, or alternatively saving for a home of their own, should be part of the bargain.
Ignore the usual bleating about housing affordability: every hardworking young person can buy a property if they lower their expectations and are willing to start small instead of expecting to purchase their home in their dream suburb first up.
One only needs to look at home ownership rates among migrant communities to know what is possible if you prioritise purchasing a property above other aspirations or luxuries such as travel.
That we have raised 580,000 NEETs is cause for considerable concern. But let’s not overlook the many youngsters keen to seize the opportunities on offer in the lucky country.