In early 2026, as economic pressures mount and headlines cycle through inflation, interest rates, and endless cost-of-living debates, a deeper crisis simmers beneath the surface. Young people, particularly those in their late teens to mid-30s, are increasingly concluding that hard work, education, and ambition lead nowhere meaningful. The traditional bargain of "study hard, get a job, build a life" feels broken. A recent piece in The Daily Sceptic, written by a 17-year-old UK schoolboy named Jack Watson, captures this sentiment starkly: young people look around and see that "there's no point getting a job" when welfare payments rival or exceed low-end earnings, fostering dependency over effort.
While the article focuses on the UK's Universal Credit system, where claimants hit record highs of 8.3 million, with under-25s receiving around £317 monthly (rising soon) often matching or beating part-time pay, the phenomenon resonates far beyond Britain. In Australia, where many young people grapple with similar disillusionment, the issues compound around stagnant wages, precarious employment, and a housing market that has turned home ownership into a fantasy for most under 40.
This isn't mere laziness or entitlement. It's a rational response to a system that no longer rewards participation. When entry-level jobs pay little more than benefits (after tax and transport costs), when casual or gig work offers no security, and when saving for a home deposit takes decades rather than years, the incentive to grind evaporates. The result is mounting despair: a generation quietly withdrawing from the future they were promised.
The Jobs Trap: Precarious Work and Disappearing Ladders
Australia's youth unemployment rate hovered around 10% in late 2025, more than double the national average of about 4%. By November 2025, it reached 10.2% for those aged 15-24, according to ABS Labour Force data. Even those "employed" often face underemployment — wanting more hours but unable to get them — or insecure casual roles in hospitality, retail, and gig economy platforms where wage theft remains rife.
Young workers report exploitation: unpaid trials, below-minimum pay, and little recourse due to fear of losing shifts. Full-time entry-level positions have plummeted in many sectors, replaced by contract or zero-hour arrangements. The promise of a career ladder has been replaced by a hamster wheel of low-wage instability.
Combined with economic headwinds — lingering post-pandemic effects, high living costs, and automation displacing routine jobs — this creates a feedback loop. Why invest in further education or training when degrees lead to underpaid roles or unemployment? Why commit to 40+ hours a week when the net gain barely covers rent and bills?
The Daily Sceptic piece highlights how welfare can feel like "free money" compared to taxed, effortful work. In Australia, while JobSeeker payments remain low, the broader point stands: when jobs don't deliver upward mobility or even basic stability, disengagement becomes logical.
The Housing Wall: A Generation Locked Out
If jobs feel pointless, housing seals the despair. Australia's housing affordability crisis has reached historic lows. House prices rose sharply in 2025, with forecasts for 2026 predicting further 5-10% increases in capital cities, led by Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide.
The median home now costs nearly nine times average household income — double the ratio from two decades ago. Saving a deposit takes over five years for median earners, compared to 2-3 years for previous generations. Rents have surged, with many young people spending 40-50% of income on housing, pushing them into share houses, parental homes well into their 30s, or even precarious setups like caravans.
Surveys paint a grim picture: Mission Australia's Youth Survey shows one in four young people worried about housing and homelessness. Over half of 18-35-year-olds would consider emigrating for cheaper housing. Gallup data reveals satisfaction with affordable housing among 18-34-year-olds at historic lows — around 16%.
Home ownership, once a rite of passage symbolising independence and future security, now feels rigged. Policies like low-deposit schemes or guarantees often inflate prices further or favour those with family help, widening the gap between the "haves" (with parental equity) and the "have-nots."
The Human Cost: Despair, Delayed Lives, and Social Fallout
This isn't abstract economics — it's profoundly personal. Young Australians report rising anxiety, depression, and a pervasive sense of being "worse off than their parents." The 2025 Australian Youth Barometer found most fear declining living standards amid housing stress and insecure work.
Life milestones slip away: delaying relationships, families, travel, or even simple stability. Some turn to nihilism — why strive when the system extracts effort without reward? Others disengage entirely: lower workforce participation, mental health crises, or emigration dreams.
Without intervention, it will not end well. A disaffected generation risks lower productivity, higher welfare dependency, exploding mental health costs, and social instability. Birth rates continue falling as people postpone or forgo families. Political radicalisation or apathy could follow.
Governments talk supply boosts, but construction lags population growth. Wages stagnate relative to costs. Until jobs offer real security and housing becomes attainable through effort — not inheritance — the despair will deepen.
The young aren't giving up because they're lazy. They're giving up because the maths doesn't add up. Restoring faith requires more than platitudes: it demands jobs with dignity, wages that build futures, and housing that doesn't devour dreams. Without that, a generation's quiet conclusion — that there's no point — could become society's loud reckoning.