Vicious generational cycle: Young people say they can’t work because of mental health problems — and being jobless is worsening their mental health. Here’s what’s going on

Age of anxiety

Gen Z has significantly more pronounced mental health issues compared to other generations, even when compared to millennials, a 2023 McKinsey study showed.

High use of social media may be making the generation born between 1995 and 2012 more isolated and lonely, the study found, though access to health professionals and wellness apps could mean social media isn’t having only one type of impact on young people.

One theory accounting for zoomers’ struggles involves what some called the “age of anxiety,” in which these young people grew up.

According to children’s wellbeing organization The Anney E. Casey Foundation, the fallout from the pandemic severely impacted kids’ mental health, and more so for those from lower-income families.

“Youth who grow up in pover­ty are two to three times more like­ly to devel­op men­tal health con­di­tions than their peers,” the foundation’s report said.

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Isolation and remembering the basics

The news isn’t all bad for Gen Z in the workforce.

Today’s teens are actually enjoying higher labor-force participation rate than millennials did when they were in high school, Axios reporting shows.

But they’re facing a harder time adapting once they show up to their jobs: Talent acquisition firm AMS found that managers believed 40% of young people are unprepared for the workplace.