Gen Z's Job Prospects

by Nevaeh Bolton

Why are job markets not hiring young people as of 2025?

This is a question many teens and young adults are asking as they struggle to find their first job. Even with more education and strong digital skills, many are being turned away because they don’t have enough experience. At the same time, new technology is replacing some jobs, and companies are being more careful about who they hire. These changes are making it harder for young people to get started in the workforce.

In Derek Thompson’s article “Something Alarming Is Happening to the Job Market,” he emphasizes a post-pandemic slowdown where job openings are declining, especially in entry-level and low-experience positions. He notes that employers are becoming more cautious in hiring due to economic lack of knowledge and automation. This disproportionately affects young job seekers, who often lack prior experience and are now competing with older workers returning to the labor force.

Ashleigh Popera’s “Gen Z in the Job Market: Challenges and Opportunities for 2025” explores how Gen Z faces a mismatch between their digital skill sets and what employers actually demand. Popera highlights that despite being tech-savvy, young workers often lack soft skills, workplace experience, and long-term commitment, leading employers to hesitate. Additionally, structural barriers like degree inflation and unpaid internships limit access to good jobs.

Together, the articles reveal that young people in 2025 struggle to get hired due to a tighter labor market, employer preference for experienced candidates, and a disconnect between Gen Z’s expectations and workplace realities.

I interviewed three young students from my high school, Forsyth Satellite Academy. I asked them four questions each and they all were the same. When I asked each of those individuals those questions, they all had different responses.

One student I interviewed was named Annaliese. Before I ended my interview with her I remember being told that she had a side hustle and so I asked her what is that side hustle. And her response was “My side hustle is I do piercing and I sometimes braid hair, and I came to that because, since it's so hard for me to find a job, since I'm only 16, the only other option I had was to self employ myself. And I've made social media pages promoting that, and people over the time have come to me, you know, so I get some cash from that on the side, but it's not like an actual full-time.”

The second student I interviewed was named Kai. When I was also wrapping up my interview with her I asked the following question: “Do you think employers expect too much from first time applicants?” Kai responded, “I think it depends on the employer and what job you're getting. For instance, if you're working somewhere that you need to do more things, more labor, carrying boxes, stocking, they might expect you to know what you're doing. But if it's something like it's my first day and I've never worked at a pet store, for instance, they might be like, you know what? It's okay. I don't expect much. Let me teach you.” 

The last student I interviewed was named Brandon. In the middle of the interview I asked him if he felt prepared for the workforce? And his response was this: “For me personally, my lifestyle, I don't think so, especially with the fact that I'm trying to focus on school and go into college, I think it would be a lot more smarter for me to feel focus into one specific area like my education.”