A new report from the Burning Glass Institute delivers a sobering assessment of the modern workforce, confirming that a college degree is increasingly becoming a poor investment for young Americans. For the first time in three decades, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates (ages 22-27) has plummeted so drastically that it is virtually equal to that of workers with only a high school diploma. This shocking convergence is the result of the highest unemployment levels for new degree holders in decades. The study notes that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is eliminating the very “entry-level” work—like research, drafting, and analysis—that once provided initial on-the-job training. With many of these tasks now handled by AI, the critical opportunities for developing skills are being removed.
