Generation Z: men with diplomas face unemployment like those without training

Gen Z is increasingly criticizing their degrees as useless — and research suggests there may be some truth to that when it comes to the job search. In fact, the unemployment rate among men aged 22 to 27 is practically the same regardless of whether they have a degree or not.

This comes at a time when employers are reducing education requirements and young people are leaving corporate jobs for technical professions.

Gen Z is having a hard time breaking into the entry-level job market, but young males who have recently graduated may be the most affected.

Data from the Federal Reserve indicates that the unemployment rate among recent graduates is increasing, at around 5.6%.

While it remains below the 7.8% rate among all young workers ages 22 to 27, men with college degrees now have roughly the same unemployment rate as young men without higher education, according to an analysis of U.S. Current Population Survey data by the Financial Times.

By comparison, around 2010, men without a college degree had unemployment rates exceeding 15%, while the rate among college graduates was close to 7%.

It’s a clear sign that the job market advantage a degree promised has all but disappeared and that employers care less about credentials than they once did when hiring for entry-level positions.

Read more: Generation Z uses AI to miss meetings, get promotions and raises, says research

Young men and women face divergent employment rates

While 7% of college-educated American men are unemployed, for women that number drops to about 4%, according to a Financial Times analysis. Growth in areas such as health — which women are more likely to pursue — is partly responsible for this scenario.

Over the next decade, healthcare occupations are predicted to grow much faster than the growth rate of all occupations, which translates to about 1.9 million openings per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Additionally, the sector is widely considered to be one of the safest against any kind of cyclical change: “Healthcare is a classic recession-resistant sector because healthcare is always in demand,” Priya Rathod, a career expert at Indeed, told the magazine

Men and women also tend to differ in their willingness to take a job that doesn’t perfectly fit their career goals.

“Women tend to be more flexible in accepting job offers, even if they are not perfectly aligned with their career goals, are part-time or are overqualified for,” Lewis Maleh, CEO of global recruitment agency Bentley Lewis, told the magazine.

“Men, on the other hand, often wait for roles that more closely align with their ideal career path or that offer what they perceive as adequate pay and status.”

Gen Z men are skipping college and turning to the skilled technical professions sector.

Many young Gen Zers have learned the hard way about the challenges of today’s job market. Around 11% of all young people are considered NEET — that is, they are not employed, studying or in training. And while there are a myriad of reasons why they may have lost interest in work or education, for those with higher education, the difficulties often boil down to a feeling of hopelessness after months — or years — of job hunting. Young males, in particular, are seen as falling into this NEET category.

But some young people noticed the trend and decided to change course. The overall proportion of young college students declined by about 1.2 million between 2011 and 2022, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. But this drop presents a clear gender disparity, with around 1 million fewer men and around 200,000 fewer female students.

Part of this change can be attributed to the increase in careers in specialized technical professions, which tend to be predominantly male. Enrollment in public two-year vocational schools has increased by about 20% since 2020, a net increase of more than 850,000 students, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

It’s a trend that even billionaires suggest will be a growing part of the future. Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND bars and the newest judge, says that vocational careers, such as carpentry or mechanics, are “great opportunities that pay very, very well.”

“Job training and learning how to be a carpenter or a mechanic or any of those professions is a huge area with great opportunities and it pays very, very well,” Lubetzky told in 2025.

“For those people who have great ideas or great opportunities and don’t want to go to college, I don’t think college is the ultimate goal, the ultimate purpose, or a must-have.”