(Originally aired 7/1/2025) Newly minted college graduates are having a harder time landing that first job than in recent years. Is it AI? Is college useless? Is it a crisis? (No. No. And not yet…) College graduates under 27 still have significantly lower unemployment rates (5.8%) than high school graduates of the same age (6.9%). What economist Kathryn Edwards finds worrying is that these new workers, who are typically a lagging economic indicator, may in this case be a bellwether of a weakening economy. Support the Optimist Economy podcast by becoming a paid <a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/">subscriber on Substack</a>, or donating at<a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomy"> https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomy</a>Complete show notes with links to articles and data at<a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/p/podcast"> optimisteconomy.com</a>.You can also find Optimist Economy on:<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@optimist_economy">TikTok</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@optimist_economy">YouTube</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/optimist_economy/">Instagram</a></li>
</ul>--------Read More:<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment">The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates</a> [New York Fed, 2025]</li>
<li>
<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/JTSHIR">Hires, from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey</a> [St. Louis Fed, 2025]</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927537116300240">Downskilling: changes in employer skill requirements over the business cycle</a> [Labour Economics 2016]</li>
<li>
<a href="https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/102/4/793/96774/Upskilling-Do-Employers-Demand-Greater-Skill-When?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Upskilling: Do Employers Demand Greater Skill When Workers Are Plentiful?</a> [The Review of Economics and Statistics 2020]</li>
</ul>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;(Originally aired 7/1/2025) Newly minted college graduates are having a harder time landing that first job than in recent years. Is it AI? Is college useless? Is it a crisis? (No. No. And not yet…) College graduates under 27 still have significantly lower unemployment rates (5.8%) than high school graduates of the same age (6.9%). What economist Kathryn Edwards finds worrying is that these new workers, who are typically a lagging economic indicator, may in this case be a bellwether of a weakening economy. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Support &lt;/strong&gt;the Optimist Economy podcast by becoming a paid &lt;a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;subscriber on Substack&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or donating at&lt;a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomy"&gt;&lt;strong&gt; https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Complete show notes with links to articles and data at&lt;a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/p/podcast"&gt;&lt;strong&gt; optimisteconomy.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can also find Optimist Economy on:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@optimist_economy"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;TikTok&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@optimist_economy"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;YouTube&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/optimist_economy/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instagram&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;--------&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read More:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; [New York Fed, 2025]&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/JTSHIR"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hires, from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; [St. Louis Fed, 2025]&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927537116300240"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Downskilling: changes in employer skill requirements over the business cycle&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; [Labour Economics 2016]&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/102/4/793/96774/Upskilling-Do-Employers-Demand-Greater-Skill-When?redirectedFrom=fulltext"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Upskilling: Do Employers Demand Greater Skill When Workers Are Plentiful?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; [The Review of Economics and Statistics 2020]&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
 </description>

(Originally aired 7/1/2025) Newly minted college graduates are having a harder time landing that first job than in recent years. Is it AI? Is college useless? Is it a crisis? (No. No. And not yet…) College graduates under 27 still have significantly lower unemployment rates (5.8%) than high school graduates of the same age (6.9%). What economist Kathryn Edwards finds worrying is that these new workers, who are typically a lagging economic indicator, may in this case be a bellwether of a weakening economy. 

Support the Optimist Economy podcast by becoming a paid <a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/">subscriber on Substack</a>, or donating at<a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomy"> https://buymeacoffee.com/optimisteconomy</a>

Complete show notes with links to articles and data at<a href="https://optimisteconomy.substack.com/p/podcast"> optimisteconomy.com</a>.

You can also find Optimist Economy on:

<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@optimist_economy">TikTok</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@optimist_economy">YouTube</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/optimist_economy/">Instagram</a>

--------

Read More:

<a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment">The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates</a> [New York Fed, 2025]

<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/JTSHIR">Hires, from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey</a> [St. Louis Fed, 2025]

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927537116300240">Downskilling: changes in employer skill requirements over the business cycle</a> [Labour Economics 2016]

<a href="https://direct.mit.edu/rest/article-abstract/102/4/793/96774/Upskilling-Do-Employers-Demand-Greater-Skill-When?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Upskilling: Do Employers Demand Greater Skill When Workers Are Plentiful?</a> [The Review of Economics and Statistics 2020]

Optimist Economy

About That College Grad Who Can’t Find a Job…

About That College Grad Who Can’t Find a Job…

Description