I remember well the anxiety of searching for a job. It’s particularly bad in a slow job market when young people are trying to get their foot on the first rung of the career ladder.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/business/economy/college-graduates-job-market-hiring.html
Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years
Artificial intelligence could reshape work, but for now a low-hire, low-fire labor market is the main impediment for young people seeking employment
By Sydney Ember, The New York Times, March 24, 2026
…
This is the worst spring for young degree holders since the depths of the pandemic…
Although A.I. may be replacing some entry-level jobs on the margins, there is little evidence it is the main culprit — at least not yet. Rather, many economists believe employment challenges for young people with college degrees stem more from the “low hire, low fire” dynamics in the labor market.
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Job openings have been trending down and are below prepandemic levels even as layoffs have remained low. A result has been a broad hiring stasis among employers that has hurt all new entrants to the labor market, a group that includes young workers with college degrees — and those without them…
Young workers tend to suffer more during economic downturns, in part because companies become less willing to hire inexperienced, entry-level employees. …
Since the 1970s, the share of older workers in the labor force, particularly in private-sector white-collar jobs, has grown as life expectancy has increased and Americans have worked longer…[end quote]
A job in an iron foundry is physically demanding. But many white-collar jobs benefit from experience and there’s little physical wear and tear. Older people in good health can work well beyond conventional retirement age if they want to.
The unemployment rate is still low due to many immigrants leaving the U.S. The ratio of unemployment to job openings has shifted over the past few years.
Wendy