- College-educated Gen Z men are stuck in the class of NEETs—not in employment, education, or training. Many are watching their careers derail before they’ve even started.
“It’s a full-time job trying to claim benefits, with none of the positives,” a Gen Z grad has complained in a series of TikTok videos. “Been working harder than a 9-5 employee lately,” the male user blasts in another—and the brutal wake-up call has struck a generational nerve.
The 27-year-old Joshy B (as he goes by on TikTok) has been unemployed and job hunting since graduating with a master’s in business in October.
In his popular videos, the Gen Zer from Edinburgh explains that he had hoped two degrees would secure him a place in the corporate world so he could finally escape life on a council estate (public housing).
But he’s been shocked that since tossing his graduation cap in the air, he’s instead been forced to live off employment benefits—and that that in itself can feel like a full-time job.
“The job hunt is still impossible,” he says in one video, adding that he’s competing against “over 100 applicants” for low-wage entry-level jobs and getting few interviews. “I could have been working in a warehouse and got a promotion or two, in the time it took to do that masters. Probably would have given me more of an advantage.”
Joshy explains that the government pays him £400 a month ($497) but that he has to keep track of all his job-hunting activity for the keep. “So although I do want a job, you’re spending the whole time getting ready for these weekly meetings,” he adds.
More young men are becoming NEETs than women—not in employment, education, or training
Joshy is far from alone. Gen Z graduates are discovering that their qualifications no longer guarantee a direct path to graduate schemes, high-profile jobs, or even the foot in the door they once did.
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Just 10 years ago, 94% of students had either landed work or went into further education in the one year after graduating according to data from the U.K. Department for Education. In 2024, just 59% of grads had full-time jobs 15 months after graduating.
They make up the growing class of NEETs—that is, “not in employment, education or training”—with college educated men particularly hard hit. Separate data suggests that while the share of female Gen Z grads participating in the workforce has steadily increased, the participation rate for their male counterparts has nose-dived since 2023.
In the six months after graduating, another Gen Zer, Max Onken applied for 20 jobs a day and has mostly heard nothing back. He’s been hunting for two years now.
“I have now lowered the amount of applications I do because I find that so many of the adverts out there are completely bust,” Onken told The Independent. “My degree was supposed to get me a job.”
Gen Z law graduate, James Harrison, similarly spent 15 months applying for jobs—and even got rejected for a barista role at Caffè Nero—before landing his current paralegal gig.
Meanwhile, in the States, Hunter Howell, a 22 year old and grad with a degree in business administration submitted north of 1,700 job applications in his 10 months of job hunting—he only landed one full-time offer.
Likewise, on Joshy’s TikTok videos, amid the stream of hate from users calling him a “lazy scrounger”, there are the sympathies of men in similar positions.
“50 applications, 4 interviews and one year later…. Nothing,” one young male user wrote. Another man echoed: “Going through the same thing right now.”
Why aren’t male Gen Z grads finding work?
The classes of 2023 and 2024 are confronting a tougher job market than those who graduated during the Great Resignation when hiring rates and wages hit a record high.
It’s a trend that Lewis Maleh, CEO of the global recruitment agency Bentley Lewis, has witnessed too. While young college-educated women are making do by widening their job search, Maleh has seen their male counterparts try to wait it out.
“Many seem to be holding out for that “dream job” that ticks all the boxes, instead of seeing the value in starting somewhere and working their way up,” he tells Fortune, while adding that “traditionally male” jobs in tech and finance have been especially impacted by the economy.
“I also think there’s still this outdated idea of what kind of work is “acceptable” for men,” he adds. “They don’t want to take jobs they see as beneath them, even if it’s just to get by. And when you add in how complicated it is to get benefits, it’s no wonder many are feeling discouraged.”
His advice to young men? You don’t need to have it all figured out right away.
“It’s tough entering the workforce with that kind of pressure,” Maleh says. “I always tell them there’s so much value in trying different things in your 20s. Your early career is about exploring and learning… You have all those social media posts about overnight success.”
“Building a career, just like building a successful business, takes time and effort and more people need to talk about that,” he stresses.
Have you had trouble gaining employment after graduating and had to resort to unusual measures to find a job? We’d like to hear your tips. Email: orianna.royle@fortune.com
