America’s job market is doing something economists can’t quite figure out. Employers are posting “Now Hiring” signs and quoting wages far above minimum wage, but they’re increasingly having trouble attracting teenagers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the youth unemployment rate ages 16-24 in July 2024 was 7.2%, a decrease from 8.0% in July 2023.
What gives? It turns out that an entire generation has decided certain jobs are simply beneath them. From fast food to factory floors, young Americans are turning their noses up at opportunities their parents would’ve jumped at. Here’s the breakdown of jobs that Gen Z and millennials have collectively decided aren’t worth their time.
Fast food worker
Some of the largest fast food employers can’t break their habit of hiring kids. Yet starting wages at many fast food chains are now in the $15-17 an hour range, and applications from 18–24 year-olds remain scarce. Sheer social stigma here runnin’ deep. For most people, flipping burgers is not a stepping stone; it’s career suicide.
A study conducted by Walden University shows 67% of fast food job openings go unfilled for over 30 days. The irony? That is higher than the average wage of many college graduates in other industries, and it is for shift managers, not general managers.
Factory worker
American industry, as we know it, has undergone significant changes in recent years. Still, this transformation hasn’t reached many young workers.
Manufacturing companies invest millions in recruitment campaigns to break these outdated stereotypes. The reality? In current and modern days, however, factory workers work alongside cutting-edge technology. They are often responsible for operating sophisticated computer systems.
Retail cashier
For the youth of this country, no one is thinking of a “dream job” behind a register scanning barcodes. Image Retail has long known high turnover, cycling through entire staffs every couple of months. Complaints from customers and inconsistent hours are compounded by the need to sell additional items, making this job less desirable for some people.
In the first five months of the year, US retail job losses have significantly increased, with retailers shedding nearly 76,000 jobs as reported by C-Store Dive. Black Friday horror stories and viral videos of angry customers haven’t helped the profession’s reputation either.
Janitor or custodian
Young people often view the cleaning of buildings and the maintenance of facilities as unglamorous, despite these jobs providing steady employment and decent basic pay. I mean, custodial positions take a little bit of a hit regarding the “dirty work” stigma attached to them. While the pandemic saw essential workers finally get some props, it did nothing to bolster their job demographics across generations.
Janky start-up job usually low-tier manual labor in a middle-class place to live, with, among other things, top-level health care, welfare, and retirement benefits based on union. Young people are still put off by the manual labour and the less prestigious social perception of the job.
Truck driver
However, the American trucking industry has a problem that resembles an anthropogenic demographic time bomb. The American Trucking Associations estimates that the sector must hire nearly one million new drivers in 10 years as demand continues to rise. However, apparently, life on the road no longer captures the imagination of young people as it once did.
Few people want to work extended periods away from home or on an irregular sleep schedule, and complementary concerns about job security due to autonomous vehicle development are significant deterrents. Truck drivers make over $50,000 a year in starting salaries and six figures for experienced truck drivers. For many young workers, lifestyle sacrifices outweigh these modest financial benefits.
Bus driver
Public transportation systems across the United States are facing an acute driver crisis. The job provides union benefits, steady hours, and starting salaries of $35,000-45,000 per year in most cities. But no longer do young people aspire to steer the municipal coach.
Worries about safety, handling difficult passengers, and the perceived boredom of the work can deter potential recruits. While a number of transit authorities have increased pay and improved other working conditions, applications from younger workers also remain scarce.
Postal worker
The U.S. Postal Service was long a gilded palace of government employment, with solid benefits and job security for life. But the days of cardigan-wearing postmen may be numbered, as a generation of younger workers has seemingly no interest in taking on the mail delivery routes.
The job has become less attractive due to the physical demands of carrying heavy mailbags, working in adverse weather conditions, and the decline of traditional postal services. Aging Postal Service Struggles to Attract Younger Workers: News of postal workers growing older as the applicant pool dries up with age
Telemarketer
One of the 40 Most Hated Jobs, as outlined by Interview Guy, is cold calling strangers to pitch products or services, an act that’s loathed for its monotony and high rate of being yelled at or rejected. For young workers, the generation brought up surrounded by caller ID and spam blockers, telemarketing seems especially backward.
Miserable rates of rejection, followed by dozens more just to reach your daily quota, all leading to a highly undesired consumer perception of cold-calling. The advent of digital marketing has made telemarketing less interesting to young adults who have grown up with technology.
Call center representative
Young workers don’t dream of sitting in a cubicle answering customer complaints all day. Turnover in call centers has an abysmal reputation, with some reports of annual rates exceeding 100%.
A stressful work environment due to repetitive tasks, tight controls, and, of course, having to handle angry clients. Not even the relatively recent phenomenon of remote call center gigs, which have proliferated in many areas during the pandemic, is enough to appeal to young workers.
Fast food management
Young people continue to avoid positions with supervisor roles at McDonald’s, which typically range from $35,000 to $50,000 annually, though some listings report averages as high as $76,705 depending on location, experience, and role level. According to Indeed’s McDonald’s supervisor salary listings, young workers continue to avoid these roles.
These conditions, including traditional hours, demanding customers, and low-wage, high-turnover staff, combine to create a stressful environment. Fast food carries a social stigma that has spread to the management level, making recruitment difficult. Fast food managers experience high levels of stress and tight time constraints, which often lead them to turn down candidates.
Dishwasher
According to GreenyPlace, Restaurant kitchens across America face chronic shortages of dishwashers, one of the most essential yet undervalued positions in food service. The hot, steamy environment this job can sometimes entail, combined with the physical demands of keeping up with dinner rushes in a fast-paced role like dishwashing, further exacerbates the issue.
Although at the entry level, dishwashing requires stamina and the ability to work under pressure. Many restaurants have significantly increased dishwasher wages, yet they receive few applications from young workers. Its placement in the background of kitchen work and lower levels in the restaurant hierarchy discourage applicants from even applying.
Housekeeper
Hotel housekeeping jobs and private cleaning have constant work, but not much appeal to younger people. Young people with visions of CEO glory don’t see themselves as bed makers, bathroom scrubbers, or floor vacuumer, so the execution fails. With flexible hours and independence being key qualities of many housekeeping jobs, it may be the perfect fit for specific demographics.
Cleaning, a subject the majority regard as “servant work,” remains in itself enough to demoralize any attempts at recruitment and retention. There are not enough people willing to serve alcohol in restaurants, which is offset by insurance issues at hotel chains. The only solution is to rely on illegal immigration and/or outsourcing cleaning services.
Construction laborer
Good Pay, Plenty of Demand, but Young People Don’t Want the Jobs. Indeed reports that entry-level construction workers can earn $35,000 to $40,000 annually. While the idea of working alongside animals is a huge selling point, the physically taxing work, potential danger involved in handling large animals, and long hours outdoors in various weather are all factors that might overwhelm prospective, less experienced workers.
Most young people are unable to turn up on site at 6am. Construction work, after all, also demands early morning start times that don’t suit most.
Warehouse associate
Amazon, FedEx, and others are hiring warehouse workers to keep all of America’s packages moving, and this fight is also packing them in. Picking, packing, and shipping orders is also repetitive work. Many warehouse jobs involve standing for entire shifts with productivity quotas to be met.
Essentially, low-paying jobs that require a lot of physical labor with little career advancement opportunity, such as warehouse work, are not very appealing to millennials. Another major fear of automation in warehouses is the loss of job security in the long run.
Retail manager
Sure, it may be a step up from the cash register to run a team at Target or help manage a clothing store, but young workers are hesitant to settle for such things. Retail managers work nights, weekends, and holidays, dealing with staffing issues and customer complaints.
The responsibility-to-pay ratio can sometimes seem off-balance to candidates. Retail managers often work more than 50 hours a week for lower salaries, despite the associated stress level.
Skilled trades -plumber and electrician
And this is where it gets exciting. Skilled trades are one of the best jobs in America, with experienced tradespeople making $60,000-$100,000 a year, according to McKinsey. Plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians can maintain job security as a corollary of skills that remain challenging to outsource or automate.
But young Americans are still flocking to 4-year colleges rather than trade apprenticeships. There’s a notable difference in mindset, where the assumption is that trades are for people who “weren’t good enough” at other careers.
Commission-based salesperson
In theory, selling cars, insurance, or real estate on commission can net you a fortune, but young workers like the guarantee of weekly pay. For young adults, being strapped to commission-based income understandably breeds massive financial anxiety. According to The Brooks Group, many sales positions require a thick skin to handle frequent rejection and the flexibility to work outside of traditional hours.
Six-figure earnings are common among top sellers. Still, the up-and-down nature of commission work tends to scare what may be more risk-averse younger applicants. Thereby, many professionals seeking work-life balance are indifferent to the pressure to maintain a whole lead funnel and checkbook.
Key takeaway
Young Americans tend to have definite criteria for the type of work they will take, even if it means foregoing a job that pays more in the immediate future. However, this change comes with its own problems and possibilities in the world of employment.
Sensing a great opportunity, employers are starting to humanize these roles in favor of better working conditions, higher wages, and improved societal perception. The gap in job availability and workforce willingness reveals a generational shift in priorities in career and job satisfaction.
The good job seeker may want to reconsider their attitude and look beyond the social stigma they associate with these “below them” jobs to see what opportunities these jobs actually provide.
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Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
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So, if you’ve got room in a pantry, freezer, or even a couple of extra shelves, now might be a good moment to stock up on these staple groceries—before the prices rise later.
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We scoured the Internet to see what people had to say about gas station food. If you think the only things available are wrinkled hot dogs of indeterminate age and day-glow slushies, we’ve got great, tasty news for you. Whether it ends up being part of a regular routine or your only resource on a long car trip, we have the food info you need.
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