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Should Gen Y be worried about their future?

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Katie AchesonKatie Acheson, Australian Youth Affairs Coalition says yes:

For the first time in our history, young Australians are experiencing a lower standard of living than their parents. And, unlike their parents, Gen Y does not have the assurance that if they work hard, finish school, get a job and buy a house, they will have established a secure foundation to build their economic future.

Our nation's youth unemployment rate is now the highest it has been since the mid-1990s. In terms of buying a house, in 1975 a Sydney home buyer took three years on average to save their deposit, and a home cost four times their annual income on average. In 2015, a Sydney home buyer took nine years on average to save their deposit, and a home cost 12 times their annual income on average.

Gen-Y

There's no denying the landscape has changed. Disruptive technologies have revolutionised the workforce and, while this provides opportunities, our education system is struggling to keep pace and adequately prepare the next generation for the careers they can expect in the next decade.Gen Y should be worried because they have inherited a legacy of generational and systemic inequality.

Mark McCrindle PortraitMark McCrindle, McCrindle Research says no:

While Gen Ys are faced with high house prices, in a context of slow wages growth and significant student debt, there are more factors in their favour than against. They are twice as likely to have a university degree, they are commencing their careers in a time of an ageing workforce with emerging opportunities and - from superannuation to the savings benefit of being able to stay in the parental home longer - they have more financial supports than any previous generation.

While they have technology costs that their parents didn't have, most food, furniture and clothing are cheaper in real terms, and both interest rates and taxes are lower today than for the previous two generations.

Gen Y are a well-educated, technologically savvy, globally connected cohort just entering their wealth-accumulating years at a time of a stable - if not stellar - economy. Yes, they could more intentionally follow the pathway of the previous generations and cut back on lifestyle spending and put more into assets that will grow.

But don't worry - the kids will be fine. And if all else fails, as back-up they have the highest net-worth generation ever - their parents.

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Comments
Chris
May 27, 2016 11.54am

Mark McCrindle is kidding himself that as back-up they have the highest net-worth generation ever - their parents, because their parents will require all their superannuation (and potentially a reverse mortgage over their house) because they didn't look to funding their own retirement themselves, it was all either company pensions or the State. The former is for the lucky few, the latter is being whittled away year by year, so you cannot rely on that.

With increasingly likely medical costs and a lower taxpayer base to fund their State pension from, it is likely that Gen X and Y will carry the can to look after the ageing boomers, especially in a family situation if they do not have enough to take care of their own health.

Whilst food, furniture and clothing are cheaper in real terms, that is trite, because they depreciate in value. Property appreciates in value and is the major store of such for Australians, but while he says that "interest rates and taxes are lower today than for the previous two generations", that is not strictly true; in real and relative terms (when you consider inflation), today's "low" interest rates on such a big loan amount are equivalent to the "horror" 17.5% interest rates on the much smaller amounts the boomers had to pay. Also, taxes may be low, but these are for those in higher tax brackets and as mentioned before, Gen X and Y will have to look after the boomers through higher taxes; it would be political suicide for anyone to mess with the massive 'grey vote'.

KristyBernales
May 30, 2016 5.34pm

I dont know, but the highest rate of unemployment was 11.10 on 1978 and since April16 steady at 5.7%.