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The Cost of Nothing

Exploring the volume and impact of unpaid internships 



published december 2024

Parsons School of Design 

Sarka Samcova & Shruti Kulkarni
  
Unpaid labor forms an invisible foundation for economies worldwide, encompassing caregiving, domestic duties, and volunteer work. Despite its significant contribution, unpaid labor is excluded from economic metrics such as GDP, masking its true value. Within this broader category, unpaid internships represent a systemic issue that disproportionately affects students and young professionals. These internships promise exposure, experience, and career connections, but the reality often involves financial strain, emotional toll, and limited long- term benefits.
In the United States alone, two in five internships are unpaid, affecting up to 1.66 million interns annually. This practice spans industries such as retail, arts, and media, where unpaid internships comprise 89%, 86%, and 83% of positions, respectively. These roles not only burden individuals but also reinforce systemic inequities by favoring those who can afford to work without pay.
The Cost of Nothing examines the multifaceted issue of unpaid internships, a practice that impacts millions of young professionals worldwide. This project seeks to uncover the financial, emotional, and systemic burdens associated with unpaid internships. Through rigorous research, interviews, and the development of a provocative prototype (provotype), we aim to highlight the inequities perpetuated by this practice and provoke thought about the normalization of unpaid labor. By pairing a physical collage with a visual narrative, the project transforms abstract statistics into tangible insights, urging viewers to consider the true cost of unpaid work and advocate for systemic change. Our research combined quantitative data with qualitative interviews, uncovering the hidden realities of unpaid internships. The findings are grouped into four key insights:

1. Financial Burden The financial impact of unpaid internships is profound, with costs accruing across multiple areas, including living expenses—interns often relocate to urban centers, incurring high rents and daily expenses. For example, an unpaid internship in the U.S. costs an average of $6,000 over three months, including transportation, housing, and food—and lost income—while unpaid interns work without compensation, they forgo the opportunity to earn from paid roles. Over six months, this could equate to over $10,000 in lost wages.

 2. Emotional TollUnpaid internships take a significant emotional toll on interns, including stress and burnout: many interns expressed feeling undervalued and overworked, contributing to emotional exhaustion, and inequity in access: interns from lower-income families often face added pressure to juggle unpaid work with part-time jobs or loans to cover living expenses.

3. Systemic InequitiesUnpaid internships perpetuate socioeconomic, gender, and racial disparities: Gender Gap: 54.3% of women reported taking unpaid internships compared to 24.1% of men, highlighting systemic gender inequities; Sector Trends: 39.3% of internships in government and non-profits remain unpaid, disproportionately affecting students interested in public service careers; and Workplace Equity: Students from higher-income families disproportionately benefit from unpaid internships, widening the socioeconomic divide.

4. Limited Career ImpactThe assumption that unpaid internships lead to better career opportunities is not universally true: Job Offers: While 65% of paid interns secure job offers, only 39% of unpaid interns achieve the same. Earnings Gap: Paid interns anticipate earning $50,000 more over their careers compared to their unpaid counterparts.

Tangible Representation of Unpaid InternshipsThe physical collage visually represents the financial and emotional toll of unpaid internships. Transportation receipts, such as Metro cards and gas receipts, symbolize commuting costs. Empty pay stubs highlight the absence of financial compensation. Broken piggy banks represent financial strain and depleted savings. Professional attire items like ties or blazers reflect the additional costs of workplace standards. Additionally, an interactive element invites viewers to add their own artifacts or reflections, transforming the collage into a collective narrative.

The Cost of Nothing Sheds light on the systemic, economic, and social implications of unpaid internships. To address these inequities, the following steps are critical:
Policy Reforms: Governments must enforce stricter regulations to ensure fair compensation for interns.
Industry Accountability: Organizations should prioritize creating paid opportunities to foster inclusivity and equity.
Public Awareness: Educational campaigns are essential to highlight the hidden costs of unpaid internships and promote systemic change.

By challenging the normalization of unpaid labor, ‘The Cost of Nothing’ aims to inspire action and advocate for a future where all work is valued and compensated. This project invites viewers to reflect, question, and ultimately demand change.


References

International Labour Organization. (n.d.). Unpaid work statistics. Retrieved from
https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/unpaid-work/

StandOut CV. (n.d.). Internship statistics: Unpaid internships in the USA. Retrieved from
https://standout-cv.com/usa/stats-usa/internship-statistics

National Association of Colleges and Employers. (n.d.). Position statement on unpaid internships. Retrieved from https://www.naceweb.org/about-us/advocacy/position-statements/

National Association of Colleges and Employers. (n.d.). The value of paid internships versus unpaid internships. Retrieved from https://www.naceweb.org/

NYU Applied Psychology Review. (n.d.). Internship statistics: Trends and implications. Retrieved from https://nyuappr.pubpub.org/pub/qxez0n11

Prosperity for America. (n.d.). Internship statistics and inequities. Retrieved from
https://www.prosperityforamerica.org/internship-statistics/

My Short Lister. (n.d.). Insights on unpaid internships. Retrieved from
https://www.myshortlister.com/insights/internship-statistics
Youth Forum. (2014). The cost of unpaid internships in the EU-27. Retrieved from
https://www.youthforum.org/files/231114-DP-CostUnpaidInternships.pdf

Investopedia. (n.d.). The impact of unpaid internships on career and wages. Retrieved from
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/12/impact-of-unpaid-internships.asp

Pew Research Center. (n.d.). Internship disparities and demographic trends. Retrieved from
https://www.pewresearch.org/

Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT). (2022). Policy brief: Unpaid internships and inequality. Retrieved from https://ccwt.wisc.edu/wp- content/uploads/2022/04/CCWT_Policy-Brief-2_Unpaid-Internships-and-Inequality-1.pdf

Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre. (2020). How unpaid internships perpetuate systemic inequalities in creative industries. Retrieved from https://www.fashionroundtable.co.uk/news

Shift London. (n.d.). Are unpaid internships worth the fuss? Retrieved from
https://www.shiftlondon.org/features/are-fashion-internships-worth-the-fuss

Small Biz Genius. (n.d.). Internship statistics: A look at the prevalence of unpaid positions. Retrieved from https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/internship-statistics/

PBS. (2022). Why unpaid internships still exist despite hardships for young workers. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-unpaid-internships-still-exist

PopSugar. (n.d.). The financial cost of unpaid internships. Retrieved from
https://www.popsugar.com/careers/internship-cost-receipts-49393966
Brookings Institution. (n.d.). Internship access disparities and their impact on upward mobility. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/

NACE Web. (n.d.). Open the door: Disparities in paid internships. Retrieved from
https://www.naceweb.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/trends-and-predictions/open-the- door-disparities-in-paid-internships/

Unpaid interns at the United Nations in Geneva hold placards during a 2017 demonstration calling for the organization to offer paid internships.(Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)



Making Sen$e segment on unpaid internships.



 
The video builds an immersive storytelling experience.

The physical collage visually represents the financial and emotional toll of unpaid internships.