By Valencia Wicker
Since the beginning of the "great recession" in 2007, young professionals have had trouble finding jobs - especially the jobs they want. In October 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the number of underemployed workers reached 17.5 percent, the highest percentage in its 15-year history. This statistic includes professionals doing part-time work who desire long-term positions and those that cannot find a job at all. However, this number excludes the thousands of professionals who are working jobs far below their education level. The Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University found that during the first four months of 2009, less than half of the nation's four million college graduates, age 25 and under, were working jobs that required a college degree.
This number is down 54 percent from last year. Research has shown that college graduates who take jobs below their education level not only earn less, but also can take years to match the earnings of graduates who land career-track employment. These persons are called "mal-employed." "Mal-employment" has increased significantly for recent grads since the recession. Furthermore, all signs suggest that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
Sam Peters is one of the hundreds of thousands of "mal-employed" young professionals. Peters talks about his gloomy job search and about how creativity and flexibility landed him a job and afforded him more benefits than he imagined. Click below to learn his story: