US Youth Job Confidence Falls to 43% as Housing Costs and AI Threaten Entry-Level Work
Updated
Updated · The New Yorker · Aug 25
US Youth Job Confidence Falls to 43% as Housing Costs and AI Threaten Entry-Level Work
1 articles · Updated · The New Yorker · Aug 25
Summary
Gallup found just 43% of Americans aged 15 to 34 felt positive about their local job market last year, down from 70% in 2023 and below the 64% share among people over 55.
That drop is especially sharp among college graduates: confidence fell to 19% in 2025 from 49% in late 2024, while non-graduates slipped to 35% from 44%.
Housing unaffordability is cited as the clearest long-running pressure, with homeownership increasingly out of reach for young adults trying to reach traditional markers of financial stability.
AI is adding to that insecurity by threatening entry-level white-collar roles even before large-scale job losses appear, raising fears employers will quietly cut hiring of recent graduates.
The report warns prolonged weakness for young educated workers could deepen delayed family formation, widen political disaffection and leave lasting social scars similar to Japan's 1990s youth employment slump.