- “I want to have a job that gives me a decent income to finish my 40-hour work week and be able to go for a drink with my partner, my friends, my family.” Woman, 22 years old.
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This testimony clearly summarizes what young people consider success, which is based on three pillars: Having a stable job, being able to balance work and personal life, and “doing something you like.” Success is conceived as the search for meaning in work beyond money, especially in a context of precariousness where a good salary is perceived as unrealistic. That you like what you do, that it offers you stability, and that it allows you to reconcile it with your personal life (“having time”).
This is one of the main conclusions of the first barometer ‘Challenges and Learnings. Youth attitudes towards training and work challenges’, organized by the Reina Sofía Centre of Fad Juventud with the collaboration of Banco Santander and Telefónica. This work (online survey of 1,200 young people aged 18 to 30 and five discussion groups with people aged between 23 and 29) shows that Spanish youth maintain a positive outlook on effort and learning, although it coexists with a perception of uncertainty and precariousness about their present and future employment.
Are they resigned? Not exactly. But many assume that it is not the time to take risks in a world with so much uncertainty. In fact, those who take more risks at work are, fundamentally, those who have a family “cushion” or a Plan B.
In a context perceived as unstable and unpredictable, adaptation has become a central capacity for youth. Many young people assume that they will have to work in what “has opportunities,” even if it does not coincide with their personal interests or vocations.
Family is the main reference, but also a source of pressure to “respond” to investment in studies
Economic and social pressure appears as a constant element in decision-making. The family continues to be the main reference, but also a source of expectations and pressure linked to the need to “respond” to the investment made in studies or to achieve economic autonomy as soon as possible, indicates the barometer.
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Effort continues to occupy a central place: 67% of young people believe that success depends on never giving up, and 63.4% believe that effort allows one to achieve what one sets out to do. At the same time, six out of ten consider that there are external circumstances that make it difficult to progress, even with effort. The perception that contacts weigh more than personal effort appears recurrently, especially among those who feel they start from a disadvantaged situation or have less social and economic capital.
For José Ignacio Goirigolzarri, president of Fad Juventud, “young people are not giving up on effort or progress; what they are demanding are more opportunities, more guidance, and a context that allows them to build life projects with greater stability and less uncertainty.”
One of the main demands detected is the need for more time and more support to make decisions about their educational and professional future. Young people demand more practical, personalized, and flexible guidance, capable of helping them manage doubts and pressures associated with choosing educational and career paths.
75.7% consider it a priority to improve their knowledge about what truly interests them professionally, while 74% demand to better understand the options that fit their abilities and to strengthen skills related to communication and expression.
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