According to research published today by Demos and the Economic Policy Institute, in addition to a staggering unemployment rate,

In the second quarter of 2009, young workers under the age of 25 had an underemployment rate of 31.9%--the count of people who've been laid off and are looking for work with those who have given up or resorted to part-time jobs.

In 1970, 14 percent of full-time college students worked more than part time (20 hours per week or more). More than 30 years later, that percentage had doubled; an astounding 60% of part-time community college students work more than 20 hours per week.

67% of graduating students at four-year institutions left college with debt. In 2008, the average debt of students graduating with loans was $23,200, an increase of 24 percent over 2004 when student debt averaged $18,650.

Even if the recession were to end tomorrow, young people will continue to face economic road blocks. Recent legislation to end deceptive and abusive credit card practices, proposals to reform health care and invest in higher education are significant steps toward reform, but on their own remain insufficient to ensure larger economic security for young people.

To that end, Demos, in collaboration with over 30 partners, will host its second-annual A Better Deal Conference this week in Washington DC, to bring together politically-engaged young adults, including community organizers, young elected officials, policy advocates, get-out-the-vote volunteers and others in a collective effort to elevate this generation's economic crisis onto the national agenda, to offer policy substance to sustain reform momentum, and to forge partnerships for future reform efforts.

In short, a comprehensive policy agenda is drastically needed to ensure that today’s young people are well-positioned to enter the middle-class--as their parents did a generation ago--for our sake and the future of our economy.