Disposable Income

When you read about how poorly the young are doing, they tend to talk about how much disposable income the young have compared to the national average. Recently I was reading that 20 year olds have 20% less disposable income than the nation average and this is wide spread in the western world that is North America and Europe.

In the US the disposable income of the young is said to be growing 9% slower than the national average. In Canada the disposable income of the young is said to be growing only 4% slower than the national average.

What I would like to know how does that compare to when I was young? When I started to work in Toronto in the mid 1960's, I had to share accommodations because I could not afford to live on my own. I shared a two bedroom apartment with 3 other girls. This was quite common at that time. Today the young are either still at home or have their own apartment. I was certainly making a lot less than by father.

I have no idea how much my father was making, but my parents had a house in the suburbs of Toronto. My father had been supporting 4 children and a wife. I would also think that when I was young I had less disposal income than average.

It might be a concern that their disposal income is growing more slowly. However, I would think that the young having less disposable income than the national average would be normal. What I worry about concerning our youth is that unemployment is high.

When I started out in the mid 1960's, there were lots of jobs available. There was little in the way of worker protection. Some employers took advantage, but most did not. I started work out of Grade 12 but was able to get more education and work in the IT field and therefore ended up with a good job. Do our youth have opportunities like I did? That is the real question to answer.

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