Carnie's Comments
Do you remember what you got paid at your first job?
I do. It was minimum wage in the summer of 1983. I had another part-time job that summer, working on the sports desk at the local newspaper. They paid me 35 cents per published column inch. It wasn't much.
I'm thinking about that today as I read about the latest Nanos Research polling which found young Canadians are "increasingly pessimistic" about their financial futures.
The poll found Canadians aged 18 to 34 are "most likely to feel anxious or stressed" about their financial situation with nearly 45% reporting financial anxiety and 33% saying their lives feel "stalled" due to money concerns.
Rising inflation and housing costs are major factors to the pessimism with many young people saying they're "living paycheque to paycheque and unable to build financial stability.
I'm also reading economists warn that without targeted public policy in Canada in areas like job creation, housing and affordability, "this generation may face long-term economic scarring."
Welcome to the club, kids! We've got a lot of members!