The number of Millennials living at home has soared by thousands amid the pandemic, insecure work, and an increasingly unaffordable rental market.
The 2021 census revealed the number of nondependent children aged 25-34 living at home has surged, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show.
The number of male children in this age group living at home rose to 280,133 – a 17 percent hike since the 2016 Census.
The number of women aged 25-34 living at home also rose to 176 413 – an increase of 14 percent.
University of Melbourne sociology lecturer Dr. Brendan Churchill said Covid-19 was probably the biggest factor behind the shift.
“There was a significant number of young people who had to leave their rental and return home during the pandemic; they may have stayed there,” he said.
Camera IconThe pandemic was likely the biggest factor behind the shift. NCA NewsWire / David Crosling Credit: News Corp Australia
Furthermore, if the pandemic resulted in people’s savings taking a hit, it may have prevented their return to the rental market or a place of their own.
Dr. Churchill said that the “general declining fortune of young people” in the labor market was another huge factor.
“Full-time, secure, well-paying jobs with benefits are drying up for young people,” he said.
“The youth labor market is not what it was; it’s been degrading and declining in the last few decades, and young people are having trouble getting those jobs that pay well and give them good income security to move out the home.
“I think all of this is conspiring together to make it harder for young people to leave the parental home.
“People are staying at home longer because it’s simply affordable.”
Camera Icon Young adults are living back at home because it is affordable. Credit: istock
The figures were similar for non-dependent men in the 35-44 age group, with 97,131 living at home, an increase of 12 percent.
For women in the same age group, 47,491 lived at home, an increase of 13 percent.
Along with job insecurity and the pandemic, the increase in rental prices also made it hard for people to find an affordable property suited to their needs, Dr. Churchill said.
“It’s just easier for young people; it’s more affordable, it’s a home, and if you have needs, it’s quite likely that your family’s already accommodated for those things. So I think that indicates how poor the housing market is now.”
For the 44-54 age bracket, the number of nondependent men living at home increased by 15 percent, while for women, it was 14 percent.
While in the 55-64 cohort, there was a 23 percent increase for men and a 22 percent increase for women.
Non-dependent children refer to natural, adopted, step, or foster children of a couple or lone parent usually living in the household. They also have no identified partner or child, generally residing in the home.
Camera Icon Thousands more young adults live at home, the census data shows. Credit: Supplied
The latest census data also revealed the number of Millennials (25-39 years old) has caught up to Baby Boomers (55-74 years old) as the largest generational group in Australia.
In the 1966 Census, nearly two in every five people (38.5 percent) were Baby Boomers.
Baby Boomers and Millennials each have over 5.4 million people, with only 5,662 more Baby Boomers than Millennials counted on August 10, 2021.
Over the last ten years, the Millennials have increased from 20.4 percent of the population in 2011 to 21.5 percent in 2021. Meanwhile, Baby Boomers decreased from 25.4 percent in 2011 to 21.5 percent in 2021.
Millennials are of working age and are upskilling, representing 40 percent of people attending vocational education, including TAFE, and 48 percent of people currently serving in the regular service of the Australian Defence Force.
