Employment Experience Reflection
Upon reading the article on young workers’ experiences and perspectives, I found many correlations with my personal experience as a worker. Currently working as a school bus driver, I have experienced the challenges of temporary unemployment, diminished promotion opportunities, labor market change, the gap in education, and other issues. The article helped me articulate my concerns with employment and identify multiple similarities in my experience with other individuals in the vulnerable population group of young adults.
As a school bus driver, my responsibilities reach far beyond the mere transportation of children from one point to another. I am particularly concerned with safety issues since I am responsible for the well-being of every child while they are on the bus. I am responsible for the discipline and comfort of the students whom I transport. Therefore, I experience inconsistency in reward with the amount of effort and responsibilities that I contribute to the job. Furthermore, I have experienced the relative importance of education for successful employment. Indeed, the obtainment of a degree does not guarantee a stable place of work. Such inconsistency is the reason why youth, including me, are commonly challenged with unemployment and high competition rate, which result in employment in a sphere that does not match the education. This tendency has been identified in the survey, stating that “less than half (45 percent) of employees work in a career field that is closely related to their educational and training background” (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 5). Thus, my experience as a worker reflects common issues in young adults’ employment.
Another significant issue that particularly influences the work experiences of young adults is the labor market processes. The changes in the labor market that are specifically addressed in the report presented by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System have significant implications for my work experience. According to the article, “globalization, automation, and improved efficiencies in the workplace are changing how employment and training programs connect workers to jobs, particularly those that require special skills and provide for wage advancement” (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 9). The field in which I work is also impacted by automation changes. Driverless busses are being introduced to the industry with a potential hazard to bus drivers’ employment opportunities (Anania et al. 1-2). In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the related distance learning caused a breach in the conventional educational process, and the lack of necessity to commute diminished my work. Thus, my employment experience is characterized by significant challenges, insecurities, and inequalities, which affect my professional accomplishment and career advancement.
Article Summary and Critique
Following the description of the experience, it is relevant to summarize and analyze the information presented in the article prepared by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The report is created on the basis of the conducted survey among young adults and their employment experiences and expectations. Some of the essential issues addressed in the article include the expectations of contemporary youth from the labor market, the connection between the labor market and education, the value of education, young workers’ profiles, and policy implications.
The authors of the report identified that young employees are particularly impacted by unemployment. Indeed, the unemployment rate for young adults between the ages between 20 and thirty-four is relatively high, with 9.4% for individuals aged 20-24 years and 5.3% for individuals aged 25-34 years (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 9). These indicators are higher than for other age groups, which signalizes a significant level of concern for modern youth in search of employment. Other issues relevant to emphasize are education and future outlook. Importantly, the report identified that the level of optimism in contemporary youth is rather high; it increases with the increase of the educational level of respondents (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 15). Thus, youth anticipates positive changes in the labor market and employment rate in the nearest future.
As for education, the survey found that young workers are reviewing their value of education in the labor market since the costs of college enrollment are rising, thus reducing the chances for degree obtainment. Indeed, over 60% of respondents, regardless of the type of degree, admitted receiving financial support indicating their economic insecurity in the job (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 22). Therefore, education does not correspond with the successful and secure employment of youth.
Conclusively, as the review of the article and the reflection on the worker’s experience show, work expectations, and experiences of young adults are characterized by the high unemployment rate, diminished value of education, but positive future outlook. Despite negative tendencies in the correlation between the level of degree and financial security, as well as the advancement of education and employment, youth expect that positive changes will occur. If the policy implications provided by the article authors are taken into consideration by the government, positive tendencies in the young labor market are possible since many young workers are ready to fill new positions.
References
Anania, Emily C., et al. “Why People are Not Willing to Let Their Children Ride in Driverless School Buses: A Gender and Nationality Comparison.” Social Sciences, vol. 7, no. 3, 2018, pp. 1-17.
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Experiences and Perspectives of Young Workers, 2016. Web.