Millennials report: Increasing technology could decrease unemployment

With the unemployment rate for 18- to 29-year-olds standing at roughly 10 percent — well above the national average — one organization is evaluating what millennials can do to change the future workforce.

“Millennials should take a good look at the skills and education that the workforce demands and choose a pathway that will provide economic stability and happiness,” said Tom Allison, policy and research manager at Young Invincibles, a national nonprofit group.

“There are so many strengths of our generation: Because we’re the most diverse generation, we have the cultural competency and collaborative problem-solving traits to thrive in today’s economy.”

Young Invincibles — a national organization engaging millennials on issues like health care, higher education and jobs — predicts future jobs will require increasing education and comfort with technology. The organization suggests that by 2020, 65 percent of job positions will require post-secondary education.

Its new report titled “Future of Millennial Jobs” is designed to steer millennials in the right direction to obtain full-time unemployment. Surprisingly, one out of four millennials are only working a part-time job.

“Entering the workforce during a recession and in the years following can haunt a generation for decades, triggering lower wages and slower career advancement,” Mr. Allison said.

In the past 10 years, millennial unemployment has increased dramatically in four sectors: construction, manufacturing, information and the financial sector. However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that mass digitization will touch every sector of the work force and that by 2020, computer systems design and similar sectors will employ 700,000 new positions by 2020.

Mr. Allison’s report suggests the increasing digitalization in the workforce may alleviate millennial unemployment.

“There’s an unfortunate stereotype that millennial workers are lazy, uncommitted and selfish, but our research shows that millennial workers are dedicated to their jobs, committed to helping others, and creative and adaptable at work,” he added.