Opinion | Unpaid internships are the privilege of the rich – companies, please stop exploiting graduates desperate for work experience
- While they are common practice, such arrangements are reserved for those privileged enough to be able to accept unpaid work
- With nearly one in five of Hong Kong’s 20- to 24-year-olds unemployed, we can expect to see internships thrive
Unpaid internships thrive in recessions, hurting women, minorities and the poor. It’s time to stop exploiting graduates.
Everyone in the arts has a juicy tale about their first unpaid internship. I know someone in fashion who was asked to fly to New York wearing a sapphire-encrusted watch because it was cheaper than posting it.
Another friend was at the beck and call of hungry celebrities while working on film sets. Others performed menial tasks – stuffing letters and fetching lunch – for demanding bosses in publishing.
In my first unpaid role at a magazine in Hong Kong, there were almost as many interns as paid staff, and we filed just as many stories.
The city’s entry-level white-collar and creative industries are defined by these kinds of internships but they are reserved for those privileged enough to be able to accept unpaid work.
As Hong Kong’s unemployment rate hit 19.7 per cent for 20- to 24-year-olds last year, we can expect to see internships thrive.
