Low wages, few jobs and no homes… young Brits are among the worst off in Europe – but what’s it really like for them?
Millennials can't afford to buy a house, get married or have a baby - the traditional markers of adulthood - and they're furious that they're worse off than their parents
MILLENNIALS are much maligned for being the lazy, entitled, avocado-munching generation.
They're frequently told to stop frittering their money on cafe brunches and just grow up - but what if they can't?
They can't afford to buy a house, get married or have a baby, the traditional markers of adulthood - and they're furious that they're worse off than their parents.
What's more, British adults are facing the second most severe wage cuts in all of Europe, with only Greece lagging behind them.
The findings by the Resolution Foundation think tank show that not only do UK millennials face higher house prices and lower pay than the previous baby boomer generation, but average hourly earnings for under-30s in Britain plunged by 13 per cent between 2007 and 2014, doubling the pay squeeze compared to those in their 50s.
Meanwhile, UK home ownership rates have plummeted faster than elsewhere and the house price to wage ratio is ranked third worst among developed countries.
Big Youth Group believes that the world of work for a young person should be meritocratic; they should be rewarded for what they can do rather than their age
Starting up my own company was tough and I've been a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) twice now; it was tough moving back home, but tougher still walking away from my first business and my mental health suffered from this. I believe that it is important to fail - and learn from failure.
Since then, I've had a lot of young people coming to me saying there are senior roles being advertised for £30,000.
But because it's 'senior' then automatically businesses think they won't interview someone under the age of 30 and they didn't get the job.
This is frustrating because young people work hard but can't get a pay rise and feel underemployed.
The average age of a CEO is 50.
I've had a lot of knockbacks and businesses not wanting to meet saying 'once you get some more experience behind you which will come with age'.
We need to educate businesses that we live in a world where it doesn't matter if you're 17 or 48 - it should be based on what you can do."