Younger Americans' confidence in the job market has fallen sharply over the past two years, with pessimism now exceeding that of their peers in nearly every developed nation, according to a new Gallup World Poll that reveals a dramatic reversal in traditional employment outlook patterns. The findings raise questions about economic mobility and the effectiveness of current labor market policies as the nation grapples with technological disruption and changing workplace dynamics.
In the United States, 43% of those aged 15-34 said it is "a good time" to find a job in the area where they live, compared with 64% of those aged 55 and over. The share of younger Americans saying it was "a good time" to find a job plunged by 27 percentage points from 2023 to 2025, while older Americans' views have barely dropped.
Global Comparison Reveals Unprecedented Shift
The gap between young and older Americans' views of the job market is greater than in any other country among the 141 surveyed, and the U.S. is one of only five countries where younger people are at least 10 points more pessimistic than older ones, along with China, Hong Kong, Norway, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates. Younger Americans ranked 87th in job market expectations among the 141 countries surveyed.
Globally, the median share of younger people who say it is "a good time" to find work in their local job market is 48%, compared with 38% among older people. Gallup's Benedict Vigers called the trend "an incredibly new phenomenon" and said, "Has this happened in most other advanced economies? The answer is a resounding no." He said last year was the first time in Gallup's decades of polling that young Americans were more pessimistic about the job market than their peers in other developed countries.
Economic Perceptions and Generational Divide
About 8 in 10 adults under 35 describe the U.S. economy as very or somewhat poor, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in April, while only about 6 in 10 adults 55 and older say the same. John Della Volpe, a pollster who surveys U.S. youth for the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics, said young people are often frustrated that prior generations do not understand their current economic challenges. He said, "It's just another thing that drains their mental health — 'my parents don't understand that their pathway at this stage in life that I'm in was so much easier.'"
Older Americans are more likely to be retired and not looking for work, and more likely to own their own homes. The new poll found the most frustrated groups of young people are those who have not secured a first job yet, college graduates and young women, though the pessimism extends across all subgroups of younger Americans, including men and those who have not attended college.
Political and Technological Factors
A separate Gallup survey found pessimism about U.S. job prospects emerging at the end of 2024 and continuing into 2025, coinciding with the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term and the rise of artificial intelligence, which many fear will transform the labor market and eliminate many entry-level jobs.
Day-to-day financial concerns were a key issue in the 2024 election, particularly for younger voters, and Trump improved on his previous performance among this group as he ran on a platform of economic prosperity, fighting inflation and affordability. But recent AP-NORC polling found that about 8 in 10 adults under 35 disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy and the cost of living, compared with about 6 in 10 older adults.
The Gallup World Poll results were based on telephone interviews conducted among approximately 1,000 U.S. adults from June 14 to July 16, 2025, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points for the U.S. sample.
Why This Matters:
The unprecedented collapse in young Americans' job market confidence signals potential long-term challenges for economic growth and workforce development. The 27-point drop in optimism among those aged 15-34 suggests that current labor market conditions may be failing to provide the entry-level opportunities and career pathways that previous generations experienced. The divergence between younger and older Americans' economic perceptions reflects structural differences in financial security, with older Americans more likely to own homes and be retired. The timing of this pessimism, coinciding with artificial intelligence advancement and concerns about job displacement, underscores the need for policies that facilitate workforce adaptation and preserve opportunities for market entry. Young Americans' ranking of 87th globally in job market expectations represents a competitive disadvantage that could affect talent retention and economic dynamism.