Gen Z Faces Toughest Job Market as Entry-Level Roles Vanish

The global job market for entry-level positions has severely contracted, presenting Generation Z (those born from the mid-1990s to early 2010s) with significant challenges as they enter the workforce. Key issues include heightened competition, rapid technological change, and an uncertain outlook for career development. This environment is outlined in “The Gen Z Workplace Blueprint” by Randstad, which surveyed 11,250 professionals and analyzed 126 million global job postings. The main concern is the shrinking pool of job opportunities for new entrants, causing increased self-doubt among Gen Z compared to older generations. [para. 1][para. 2][para. 3]

Data shows that hiring for junior roles (those requiring zero to two years of experience) plummeted by 29 percentage points worldwide since January 2024. The trend is a major concern for youth employment, as global unemployment for those aged 15-24 reached 11.2% in July 2025. This is 7.1 percentage points above the rate for workers aged 25 and older. In August 2025, the U.S. youth unemployment rate was 10.5%, while the European Union saw higher rates at 14.6%, with France at 18.1%, Italy at 19.3%, and Spain at 23.1%. China’s surveyed youth unemployment for the 16-24 age group (excluding students) was 18.9% in August, dropping slightly to 17.7% in September. [para. 4][para. 5]

Despite persistent talent shortages in certain fields, opportunities for young applicants are vanishing at an accelerating rate, especially in technology and finance—a preferred domain for Gen Z. Between January 2024 and July 2025, tech postings requiring 0-2 years’ experience fell 35 percentage points, while those requiring 3-5 and 6-9 years dropped 22 and 4 percentage points, respectively. In contrast, senior roles demanding 10+ years of experience rose by 2 points. Similarly, in finance, postings for junior roles fell 24 and 9 percentage points, while senior roles climbed 6 points. Healthcare was an exception: postings for 0-2 years and 3-5 years’ experience increased by 13 and 5 points, largely to fill urgent gaps in roles such as nursing and radiological technology—though employers still prefer experienced candidates for physician roles. [para. 6][para. 7][para. 8][para. 9][para. 10]

The main driver behind this trend is the automation of traditional entry-level tasks by artificial intelligence and digital technologies. A recent Harvard study analyzing r é sum é data from 285,000 U.S. firms and 62 million employees found a sharp divergence in hiring from early 2023. Companies implementing generative AI saw junior hiring drop by ~9% over six quarters, attributed mostly to slower hiring rather than higher turnover or promotions. [para. 11][para. 12]

In this pressured environment, Gen Z exhibits a paradoxical combination of insecurity and agility. Randstad’s survey found 41% of Gen Z respondents lack confidence in finding a new job—higher than any other generation. Around 44% say their current job does not match their ideal career, and 37% regret their industry choice. Despite this, Gen Z is also more willing to switch jobs, averaging a job tenure of just 1.1 years in their first five years of work (versus 1.8 for millennials). In the past 12 months, 22% of Gen Z workers quit their jobs, and 54% are actively seeking new opportunities, with a third planning to leave within a year. [para. 13][para. 14][para. 15][para. 16][para. 17][para. 18][para. 19]

Gen Z is less likely to have a traditional full-time job (45% compared to 51% globally) and is more open to side jobs or gig work. In China, 7.9% of recent bachelor’s graduates are still job hunting as of 2024, with 5.8% in flexible employment, compared to 5.2% still seeking work in 2020. [para. 20][para. 21]