Barclays LifeSkills conducted a recent survey which revealed that young people are turning their backs on traditional Saturday jobs in favour of earning extra cash online. They’ve ditched the traditional money earners such as babysitting, newspaper rounds and stacking shelves in favour of earning money online through websites like eBay and other selling apps such as Depop.
Over 1,000 14 to 21-year-olds in education and not yet in full-time employment were polled, along with 1,700 older adults aged 22 and over. Just half of the younger generation currently have a part-time job, compared with 69 per cent of 38 to 58-year-olds who worked when they were younger.
Of those who aren’t working, 44 per cent gave the reasoning that they already received an allowance or other income elsewhere such as pocket money from their parents.
More than 40 per cent said they prioritised focusing on their school work rather than any paid work. Retail jobs were found to be the most popular type of work, followed by manual work while online ventures appeared to have more and more appeal.
Of those earning cash online, more than two-fifths preferred it over more traditional work because of the flexibility it offers. A third of respondents said their skills are better suited to making money via online resources. Meanwhile, a fifth of students chose online work due to a perceived shortage of traditional jobs in their area and a similar proportion said the platform allowed them to be more entrepreneurial.
Kirstie Mackey, head of LifeSkills, which equips people with business skills, said: ‘The nature of part-time jobs may have changed from 30 or 40 years ago, but they remain a crucial way for young people to strike out on their own and gain the valuable skills and experience they will need for the rest of their working lives.’
Baroness Karren Brady, chair of the LifeSkills Advisory Council, said: ‘Finding a job alongside school or college isn’t as simple as it was in the past, but the opportunities out there are evolving quickly.’
