Young Men Struggle to Find Jobs Amid Economic Shifts
Emanuel Barcenas, 25, is unemployed two years after graduating with a computer science degree from Illinois Institute of Technology, living with parents in Chicago. Despite applying to over 900 jobs, he has few interviews. Young men aged 23-30 with bachelor’s degrees now have a 6% unemployment rate, double young women’s 3.5%. This shift is linked to health care and social services job growth (80% female workers) and declining blue-collar jobs. Tech layoffs have added to the problem, with 370,000 workers laid off in 2024-2025. Barcenas briefly worked in auto engineering but lost his job when his division was laid off. Similar struggles affect others like Eli McCullick, who pivoted to law school after a year of unemployment. Economic data shows men’s labor force participation declining, with 68% now in the workforce. Experts attribute the crisis to shifting industry dynamics and gendered career paths.