Young workers do longer hours for less pay than older groups

Workplace age-based financial pressures and discrimination imposed upon young workers in Ireland and globally

A rally outside Leinster House calling for all TDs to support passage of the National Minimum Wage (Equal Pay for Young Workers) Bill 2022 to end wage discrimination against young workers.  Photo: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Young workers are putting in long hours, often involving unpaid overtime, due to a mix of insecurity about their jobs and a sense that they need to prove their worth.

Long, underpaid work days are not unique to Gen Z workers, but a number of recent studies suggest that younger workers believe they need to overcompensate for the perception among older cohorts that ‘Gen Z’ workers are lazy, lack initiative, and have a ‘snowflake’ outer shell; i.e. they don't take criticism well.