The Vanishing Career Path for Young College-Educated Men

What Happened

New labor data shows a troubling reversal in the fortunes of young men with college degrees. Men aged 23 to 30 who recently graduated are facing an unemployment rate of 6%. This is notably higher than the 3.5% rate for young women and the 4.2% national average for all workers last month.

Even more alarming, young men with a bachelor’s degree are now slightly more likely to be unemployed than their peers without one. This upends decades of conventional wisdom that a degree guarantees better job security.

The divide stems from industry-specific trends. Over the past six months, the few sectors adding jobs—healthcare, hospitality, and education—are dominated by women. Meanwhile, male-heavy industries like business and tech have been hammered by mass layoffs and hiring freezes.

Why It Matters

The numbers tell a story about a labor market that unevenly rewards different skill sets and industries. In 2023, the median entry-level salary for a nurse was $65,000, according to the New York Fed, compared to $80,000 for a computer scientist. Women are more likely to find jobs now, but often in fields that pay less. Men are chasing higher-paying roles, but those roles are disappearing or harder to land.

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Technology is also accelerating the problem. Entry-level positions in consulting, coding, and other white-collar fields—jobs young men disproportionately pursue—are among the first to be automated or replaced by AI. This creates a double bind. Even when companies start hiring again, the total number of jobs in these sectors may remain permanently smaller.

There are long-term implications. Early-career unemployment can delay home ownership, family formation, and retirement savings. If male graduates are consistently underemployed, the economic effects could ripple through communities for years.

How It Affects You

For young men entering the workforce, the path forward is far less straightforward than it used to be. What was traditionally sound advice — earn a degree in a lucrative field — no longer guarantees opportunity if that field is contracting or facing rapid automation.

Families may need to reassess how they guide career choices. Degrees tied to sectors with stable or growing demand, such as nursing, skilled trades, or certain technical specialties, may offer more job security even if starting salaries are lower.

For employers and policymakers, the data raises concerns about whether higher education is truly aligned with today’s job market. If entire graduating classes are being funneled into shrinking industries, it’s not just a personal problem for workers; it’s a glaring inefficiency that could have severe negative impacts on economic growth.

The U.S. labor market is still healthy in many respects, but these figures suggest that prosperity isn’t evenly distributed. For young college-educated men, the challenge is no longer just landing a good job—it’s finding a sector where their skills will remain in demand five or ten years from now.

*Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.

The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.

Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com.