Young people often work in some of the lowest-paying, lowest-status jobs there are -- in dead-end jobs or "McJobs" in the retail, food, and entertainment service sectors. They have lower wages, fewer benefits, less job security, and are less likely to be unionized than any other age group in the workforce. Employers of young workers, by contrast, frequently rank among the world's most powerful corporations. Despite their importance to the service economy, young workers are often ignored or stereotyped by researchers, policymakers, and trade unions.

This interview-based study of 95 young...