Afford Anything · Friday, July 31, 2026
Beth Kobliner highlights a significant shift in the job market for recent college graduates, noting that their unemployment rate is now higher than the general population. In the 1990s, recent graduates had a lower unemployment rate, but today, they face increased difficulty securing employment.
“According to the New York Fed, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates, 20 to 27, is now one and a half points higher, meaning it's worse than the general population.”
“In the 1990s, the unemployment rate for college grads, recent college grads was two points lower or better than the general public.”
“So again, that freaky Friday switch of young people. People who are starting out, they did the right thing. They went to college, they were told they'll be getting good jobs because they went to college. Their unemployment rate now is 7.5%, higher than the 4% to 4.2% of all workers.”