Why Unpaid Internships Still Exist In Corporate America

Internship experience can significantly boost your chances of landing your first job. The problem? A significant number of internships in the U.S. are still unpaid. In 2021, nearly 50% of internships were unpaid, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. These types of internships have proven to further inequity, giving opportunities to a select few while isolating others. So why are unpaid internships still so prevalent in our workforce today? For many young workers, an internship offers their first taste of the “real world,” and many interns take home a very real paycheck of $0. According to a recent survey of 267 employers (including big-name companies such as Adidas, Dell and Wells Fargo) by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average hourly wage for paid interns in the summer of 2020 was $ — an increase of $ from the previous year and the highest rate ever measured. But while competition at top employers may have led to good pay for some