Posted on Nov 20, 2021, 11:00 a.m.
This is one of the unintended consequences of the Covid. In the face of a labor shortage in the United States, the labor market is changing and dependent on an unexpected demographic: adolescents. The latter now represent one of the largest segments of the working population on the other side of the Atlantic. The unemployment rate for young people aged 16 to 19 fell to 9.6% in July 2021. A figure not seen since the recession of November 1953, when it was 8.6%.
To cope, American companies are using several weapons in their arsenal: businesses are reducing the wing on opening hours, factories are limiting assembly lines and some are even forced to cease their activity altogether. As a result, stocks are low, shipping times are increasing and prices are inflating. As the need for labor continues to grow, employers compete for bonuses, bonuses and other benefits to attract customers.
Hourly minimum wage increase
A situation which has prompted some states to demand that the law on child labor be amended. In early October, members of the Ohio Senate introduced a bill to expand the legal working hours for 14- and 15-year-olds. A few weeks later, the Wisconsin state Senate followed suit by passing a similar bill. The unions are campaigning for an increase in the hourly minimum wage ($ 7.25, unchanged since 2009) which would be more effective, according to them, to make the labor market more attractive.
While some teens rejoice in being able to earn a little more pocket money, others warn that it could have a negative impact on their success in school, extracurricular activities, and sleep. There are also concerns that since white adolescents have a higher employment rate than their minority peers, the latter will be left behind.
Driving a heavy vehicle from the age of 18
At the federal level, the trend is also changing. In his gigantic $ 1.2 trillion plan to modernize infrastructure, Joe Biden slipped a little novelty that thrills road transport professionals: an apprenticeship program that would allow companies in the sector to recruit drivers from the age of 18 years. At present, you must be at least 21 years old to drive a heavy vehicle.
This plan would allow 25,000 drivers aged 18 to 20 to be trained (these young people can drive a truck, but they must stay within the limits of their state). Apprentices will have to drive 240 hours under the supervision of an older driver, in a vehicle equipped with safety devices and with a speed limited to 105 kilometers per hour. What to depopulate, before the rush of the end of the year holidays, the routes of experienced drivers, who say they are mostly opposed to this measure.
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