
US Young Workers Face Record-Size Job-Prospect Gap, Gallup Finds
Axios highlights Gallup’s 2025 data showing U.S. youth (ages 15–34) view the local job market far less favorably (43% say it’s a good time to find a job) than those 55+, who are at 64%—a 21-point gap and the widest intergenerational split among 141 countries surveyed. Globally, the median gap is about 10 points, with older adults typically more pessimistic elsewhere. The drop in optimism is most pronounced among educated, not-yet-employed young Americans, and analysts attribute part of the decline to AI reshaping entry-level opportunities and the importance of social capital in hiring.


