Gen Z is right about the job hunt—it really is worse than it was for millennials, with nearly 60% of fresh-faced grads frozen out of the workforce
Gen Z graduates are facing significantly more challenges entering the workforce compared to millennials and earlier generations, with nearly 60% of recent graduates still jobless after college. Research shows that previous generations were far more likely to secure full-time roles before or shortly after graduation, while today's job market is more competitive and automated. Factors like AI replacing entry-level tasks, rising tuition, and increased hiring barriers have made traditional job-seeking strategies less effective for young applicants.
- ▪About 58% of students who graduated between 2024 and 2025 were still looking for their first job, according to a Kickresume report.
- ▪Just 12% of Gen Z graduates in 2024/2025 secured full-time jobs by graduation, compared to nearly 40% of earlier graduates.
- ▪Around 40% of unemployed job-seekers in 2024 did not receive a single interview, and some sent as many as 1,700 applications without success.
- ▪The number of NEETs (not in education, employment, or training) among Gen Z has reached 4.3 million in the U.S., with similar trends emerging in the U.K.
- ▪Some Gen Z job-seekers have resorted to unconventional tactics, such as delivering donuts with hidden résumés or waitressing at industry conferences to network.
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| Original publisher | Fortune |
| Canonical URL | https://fortune.com/article/gen-z-job-hunt-compared-to-millennials/ |
| Publication time | Sun, 17 May 2026 11:50:20 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-17T12:17:13.084Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Gen Z is slammed for complaining about how tough it is to work five days in-office, or even get a job in the first place—but their suspicions may be true. Research has confirmed, their older millennial critics had a far easier time locking down a gig to begin with. Recommended Video About 58% of students who graduated between 2024 and 2025 were still looking for their first job, according to a report from Kickresume last May. Meanwhile, just 25% of graduates in previous years—such as their millennial and Gen X predecessors—struggled to land work after college. It may be tempting to think Gen Z just isn’t as hungry for work as previous generations, like Whoopi Goldberg and Judge Judy espouse.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Fortune.
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