The average American should save more for retirement, and young people need to think about the potential pay of a career — along with the amount of debt an education in that field will incur.
Those are some of the conclusions of a new Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll survey that questioned 1,011 white- and gray-collar workers. (Gray-collar work combines some of the components of manual labor with some aspects of white collar work.)
“The majority of the workforces are worried about saving enough for retirement,” according to the survey, which explained why they save too little. “Almost one in three are drowning in debt.”
The survey found that 62% of blue-collar workers (questioned in an earlier survey), 45% of gray-collar and 40% of white-collar workers said they have less than $5,000 saved in case of emergency.
With heavy student debt affecting millions of US workers, was going to college the right move?
Most workers with a high school diploma or less said they wish they had a four-year degree or had attended a vocational school. And most college graduates said going to college was worth “every penny.”
Still, nearly 1 in 3 college graduates said “they have too much student loan debt and cannot find a good job despite their college degree,” the survey said.
William Stoller, chairman and CEO of privately held staffing company Express Employment Professionals, said young people considering a career path should research potential professions.
“They need to look at the degree they want to pursue and the market potential for using that degree,” he said.