For Presidential Hopefuls, a Focus on Workplace Issues Will Bring in Millennial Votes

With the 2016 presidential election getting closer, candidates are coming out of the woodwork and announcing their candidacies, along with their plans for running the country should they win. Millennials now make up the largest population of generations in the United States, and because most of them have the ability to vote, candidates from all parties should keep in mind the issues they care about. The Republican candidates have so far voiced their stances on immigration, Obamacare, taxes, and the allocation of U.S. troops, but we have heard very little on the topic of workplace issues.

Most Republican candidates have discussed their plans to create more jobs, but when it comes to workplace issues such as higher wages, better benefits, and paid leave, they say it’s up to the private sector to make these changes. A little more than 10% of the population in the United States is made up of retired individuals, so workplace changes are important to most Americans. Older generations still care about these issues, but many  have been working for the same company for many years and have little interest in leaving their company over a lack of benefits. This is where millennials differ from the pack.

Many millennials are either new to the job market or are just finishing up their schooling and will soon begin their search for a career. This young generation may be looking for work, but most of them won’t take the first job they can get and instead will wait for a job with both living wages and fair benefits. If Republicans refuse to talk about fixing the lack of benefits and low wages, they could be missing votes from millions of millennials.

Democratic candidates have been pushing for a higher minimum wage and more paid maternity and paternity leave for employees. While Democrats have been gaining the attention of millennials, Republicans have been making statements that go against what many millennials would agree with. Republican candidate Jeb Bush recently said that he believes “People need to work longer hours.” Millennials aren’t lazy, but many of them don’t want to keep adding overtime to their already busy lives.

We live in a time when self starters have the means to make money without having to leave their homes. If jobs aren’t paying enough or offering benefits, many millennials grew up learning how to use at least one medium that can earn them money, such as, YouTube, blogging, podcasting, website creation, or freelance work. While searching for the right job, there are plenty of millennials who have something to fall back on. If Republicans continue to only push for more jobs while refusing to discuss the possibility of better workplace incentives, then there will be few people that actually take these jobs.

Every party still has time to develop their plans and make up their minds, but it won’t be long and the party front-runners will be chosen. Once each party has their main candidate picked, it is then that we will see if the Republican candidate will appeal to millennials and discuss workplace issues.