Young Australians have revealed why they lack the motivation to work harder after being criticised by broadcaster Steve Price.
The conservative commentator hit out at younger generations on The Project on Wednesday amid calls to increase annual leave to five weeks a year.
Initiated by the powerful Association of Retail, Distribution and Allied Employees, the campaign calls for additional leave to alleviate employee burnout.
So far, Big W and Apple employees have five weeks of leave thanks to corporate agreements established through the SDA.
But Price was unimpressed by the calls for more vacation days and said he was glad he didn’t have to manage more employees.
“We are trying to increase productivity in this country,” he explained.
“We have people who refuse to go back to the office and work from home in barely washed T-shirts and sweatpants, three days a week,” he said.
“And now they want five weeks of vacation.”
A debate broke out between The Project presenters Georgie Tunny (left) and Steve Price (right), who claimed that young Australians don’t want to “work very hard”.
Georgie Tunny, a millennial, responded to Price by arguing that the characteristics of “work culture” had permanently changed for young Australians.
“I think especially the younger generations see work in a completely different way,” he said.
Price intervened, saying young Australians did not want to “work very hard”.
Ms Tunny continued: ‘There’s been a kind of death of your work, of your identity or your career.
Young Australians were quick to criticise Price, saying rising costs of living and house prices meant there was no reason to work harder.
“Where is the incentive for young people to work hard when working hard will not allow them to buy a house or even buy basic vegetables?” said one.
“You get what you pay for and it’s not worth the hard work,” added a second.
“There is literally no benefit to working as hard as you can.”
“When market prices, vacations and necessities don’t meet costs, what motivation is there to care or be productive?” said a third.
Young Australians were quick to criticise Price, saying rising living costs and house prices meant there was no reason to work harder (file image)
Another suggested that employers should “increase wages and introduce bonuses as incentives” to get their staff to work harder.
“Nobody is interested in working themselves to death for misery,” they explained.
A fifth added: ‘I don’t want to work very hard for CEOs to earn millions while I can barely afford to buy bread.
“Even having an extra week off doesn’t help when I don’t have money to do anything or go anywhere.”
A sixth said: “Our generation is fed up with working hard so that those at the top get the credit and the money. We know our worth.”
A recent report by the Productivity Commission found that Australians born after 1990 are finding it harder than previous generations to move up the financial ladder.
The Economic Mobility Report found that young Australians are earning less than their parents did at the same age, bucking an important financial trend.
Poor economic performance following the global financial crisis was partly responsible for weak income growth among young Australians, the commission found.
“In 2001, younger Australians experienced stagnant wages and were more likely to be in jobs with lower educational requirements and earning potential relative to younger people with comparable skills,” the report said.
“Which can have long-term negative effects on their wages and their occupational options.”
