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Th e M Rep o RT | 13 cover story I n 1962, the Hanna-Barbera production team introduced the world to The Jetsons, an animated glimpse into what the world look like in the year 2062. Each night, viewers were transported to a futuristic time where cars hovered above ground, homes jutted the atmosphere on high columns, and robotic maids greeted their goofy, lovable homeowner with witty banter. The whole premise seemed possible at that time because 2062 seemed light years away, but today 2062 does not seem so far off, especially in the minds of those working in the housing industry. Lessons learned from the market collapse of 2008 have given many industry professionals enough wisdom to focus on the current housing industry recovery, but as demographics shift and student debts mounts, some are wondering if the industry is prepared for the next ten years. Millennial Access to Jobs Hampering Progress T he Boomer generation who grew up on the Jetson crew also grew up on a very prescrip- tive life normative. Graduate, get a job, marry someone you love, and purchase a home. In 1980, the Baby Boomer home- ownership rate was 56.1 percent, now it's down to 37.9 percent according to CoreLogic. While Boomers were purchasing homes en masse pre-Bubble, their par- ticipation in the housing market is declining due to natural attri- tion. They are getting older and down-sizing. Simultaneously, a millennial generation is growing, many still under the same roof as their Boomer parents and grandparents. "As compared to the Baby Boomer generation, the millen- nials are larger in number," said Jack Konyk, executive director of Government Affairs at Weiner Brodsky Kider. "The jobs picture is not as strong as it was for the Boomer generation, but we're still seeing signs of hope." Konyk says. When surveyed "do you aspire to homeownership?" 98 percent of the millennial survey respondents said yes, "but they lack the confi- dence in the labor market to make it work," he continued. What Konyk is seeing is in line with the current buzz in the hous- ing industry. Until a stronger labor market resurfaces, millennials will continue to shy away from what The year 2024 may still ring of sci-fi and futuristic cartoons, but it's not that far away. Americans may not live like those characters in 2024, but they are headed towards a place where they'll finally be able to live on their own. By Ashley R. Harris