Regardless of the importance of interns to the labor market and to the development sector writ large, the debate is once again heating up about a practice that has supporters using the term “mutually beneficial” but opponents crying exploitation: young graduates working for free to jump-start their careers in global development.
The practice of unpaid internships can indeed help launch a career, but it can also exacerbate the wealth gap and hinder young, cash-strapped job seekers from finding work. In a setback for the U.S. Department of Labor, which is trying to slow the growth of unpaid internships, the Second Circuit’s U.S. Court of Appeals declared several weeks ago that private companies — Fox Searchlight, in this case — could use unpaid interns if the intern derives more value from the arrangement than the employer, overturning a previous ruling by a district court.
Meanwhile in Geneva, approximately 100 people are expected to gather at public square Place des Nations on July 18 for a flash mob demonstration as part of European Interns Day. The event, organized by the Geneva Interns Association and the Pay Your Interns initiative, plans to draw attention to just that: the number of organizations still not offering pay to their interns.
About the author
Aliyah Esmail
Aliyah Esmail is a freelance journalist and communications professional with a fascination for the economic and political realities facing nongovernmental organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Carlton University in journalism and film studies and is now working on a postgraduate certificate from the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute in Global Health. She has worked for the government of Canada as well as a number of international organizations.
