Hope is in short supply for young people when it comes to the cost of living crisis

I vividly remember the years following the financial crash of 2008, the government needs to be doing more to help those who are struggling, writes Sean Russell

Inflation has hit its highest level in 40 years amid the deepening cost of living crisis (Getty Images)

I have never witnessed a sustained period of economic growth in my adult life. What does this mean? It means a substantial lack of savings (read: close to zero) and holding very little hope of retiring before I am 80. Oh, and I’ll probably never own a house.

Don’t weep for me, I’m still what passes for comfortable these days. But having come of age during the recession following the 2008 financial crash, I am now about to turn 30 and I am facing my second economic crisis – a cost of living crisis.

Back then, I had no idea what Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac was and the crisis didn’t mean anything to me. It was just something on the news – until my dad was around the house a lot more often, waking up late and working only a few hours a day. It meant something to me when he began looking for a second job.