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Rooted in the late 19th century, Labor Day is an annual celebration observed on the first Monday in September to recognize economic achievements of American workers. Labor has changed a lot in 142 years. Nebraska Public Media’s Dale Johnson reached out to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Sociology professor, Dr. Regina Werum to talk about the newest generation of workers.
Dale Johnson: For past generations, labor was defined as a six day, 60 hour work week. Fast forward to a point where labor became a 40-hour, five day week. How does the present generation think about work?
Regina Werum: If by present generation you mean young adults age 18-25, speculating here, they might have a unique take on the purpose and meaning of work. After all, this generation has no memory of 9/11, instead, spent its formative years in pandemic-related isolation, where community building was particularly difficult. It might not be surprising if in the post-pandemic era, they learn to value opportunities to build community more than they value working 60 hours a week. By the way, most research by economists shows, and I concur, that the productivity curve is, as they say, more is not necessarily more as more hours spent working can actually reduce productivity, effectiveness and efficiency, never mind long term and externalized costs related to adverse health outcomes and other milestones.
Johnson: I've been thinking about a comment that you made to me as we prepared for this conversation, that today's youth might be on to something that they're not working to maximize income the way that mom and dad may have. They're looking for the meaning of work and life balance. What did you mean by that?
Werum: Reflecting on multiple cohorts of students I've taught in the past decade, it seems to me that young adults are more eager than ever to find and build community in ways that simply weren't possible during the pandemic. They know firsthand how difficult and important it is to have a strong social support network in the real world. Quite possibly, they have something to teach older generations, many of whom have been told that the purpose of life is to work rather than the other way around. If that is indeed the case, I consider it a hopeful sign that this generation will be important standard barriers for civic participation and engagement.
Johnson: How unique is Nebraska in terms of its workforce? We're very rural. Is this a factor in defining our labor market for young people?
Werum: We have low population density, large rural population. Access to higher education in rural areas has always been more limited, and though there were expansion efforts starting in the 1960s that helped lower some of those barriers to access, in recent years, we have seen the opposite trend. Especially financially strapped institutions, private and public, have been forced to eliminate programs around the country, merge with other schools or close down. This has disproportionately affected access to college in rural areas, including here in Nebraska, when you combine this consolidation trend with an increasing focus on institutional rankings and selectivity, it can heighten barriers to college access even further. Never mind that continued public divestment from higher education has shifted the cost to families and driven up student debt. All this constrains the options available to young adults and the choices they make here and elsewhere. Here in Nebraska, approximately half the population lives in urban areas with excellent access to higher education, but ongoing divestment ways might begin to impact where students choose to attend college. The labor market shortages that we are seeing affect not only the 18-25 year olds, but ripples throughout all of the age groups in the labor market, and that relates to a broader issue of brain drain, feeding young adults and adults in their in their 20s and 30s to leave the state and typically not return. They tend to leave for areas that are more urbanized and provide higher pay.
Johnson: Professor of Sociology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Dr Regina Werum, thank you so much for the conversation.
Werum: You're welcome. Thank you for asking me. I'm Dale Johnson, Nebraska Public Media News.