Pew study: Young adults postpone marriage, take unwanted jobs during economic hardship

Almost half of young adults are taking jobs they don't want just to pay the bills and a quarter are working for free to get experience, according to the Pew Research Center.

The group, ages 18 to 34 years old, is getting hammered by hard economic times forcing changes to make ends meet. Nearly 49 percent say they have taken a job they didn’t want in order to pay the bills, according to the Pew Research Center. Of that same group, 35 percent say they have gone back to school because of economic hardships.

Another 24 percent say they have taken an unpaid position to gain experience, the report said.

The employment level dropped to 54.3 percent among young adults ages 18 to 24 in 2011, the lowest level since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting the figure in 1948, the report cited. The unemployment rate was 16.3 percent for the age group at the end of last year.

The 18 to-34-year-old age group also reported other major lifestyle changes due to the harsh economic climate. Among the group, 24 percent said they have moved back in with parents and 22 percent have postponed having a baby.

Other young adults have delayed marriage, with 20 percent putting off their vows because of the economy.

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