Young and unemployable

Young people are finding it harder and harder to find entry-level jobs....

From cnbc -- Global youth unemployment has hit a record high following the financial crisis and is likely to get worse later this year, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Thursday.

The report from the ILO says 81 million out of 630 million 15-24 year olds where unemployed at the end of 2009, some 7.8 million more than at the end of 2007.

While it is certainly true that the mortgage crisis and financial meltdown in the US damaged retirement plans for millions, forcing retirees back into the labor market, don't let the article fool you. It's not only the financial crisis that has created a massive loss of available jobs for young workers. The disastrous minimum-wage increases have taken their toll also. Every time the politicians pander to the poor by forcing businesses to pay young, inexperienced, unreliable workers more than they are worth, employers are forced to lay off some workers to make up the difference to their bottom line.

Minimum-wage jobs are there for training on the way to something better, not to serve as careers to support families of 4 as the liberal media would have you believe. If you can't improve above minimum-wage after a reasonable time, perhaps it was stupid of you to have kids in the first place. For young people to position themselves to take advantage of every opportunity they need to do the three things that are indicative of success: stay off drugs, finish high-school, and get married/stay married. If you can't manage to do at least the first two things, then you are a loser anyway and will always struggle to survive above poverty. It doesn't help matters that the government has priced young people right out of the job market with stupid minimum-wage laws, designed to garner fawning praise from the media who don't understand rudimentary economics.