There’s a growing cohort of Gen Zers who are rejecting life’s major milestones and becoming NEETs—that is, “not in employment, education, or training.” Many of them are college-educated men.
One in five young people around the world is currently a NEET, according to the International Labour Organization. In the U.S., this jumps to about 11.2% of young adults. Meanwhile in the U.K., almost 3 million Gen Zers are now classed as economically inactive.
Now, new research has shown that male Gen Z grads are more likely than women to be among those opting not to work or get some form of qualification.
Despite having just graduated, one in five men under the age of 25 is unemployed, Bloomberg’s analysis shows. And they’re not actively looking for work, either.
While the share of Gen Z female college grads participating in the workforce has steadily increased, the participation rate for their male counterparts has nose-dived.
Why aren’t male Gen Z grads working?
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.
“Women tend to be more flexible in accepting job offers, even if they’re not perfectly aligned with their career goals or are part-time or they are overqualified for,” he says.
“Men, on the other hand, often hold out for roles that align more closely with their ideal career path or offer what they perceive as adequate compensation and status.”
Some male candidates have been airing their frustrations that the few jobs available right now don’t match their expectations, he says, “whereas female candidates often discuss strategies for making the best of available opportunities, focusing on skill development and networking even in less than ideal roles.”
Essentially, it’s not that young men don’t want to work—it’s that they want the right type of work.
Men have lost the upper hand
Another factor that comes into play, Maleh adds, is that men no longer have the upper hand in certain sectors that they once dominated.
For years, male students have enjoyed more lucrative roles straight out of university thanks to their majors: A Bankrate study published in September 2023 found that men accounted for almost four out of every five graduates with bachelor’s degrees in the 20 highest-paying fields.
However, male-dominated industries like technology and finance are currently experiencing mass layoffs and grad program slowdowns, as they correct for overhiring during the pandemic and the economic uncertainty that followed.
“Holding out for that unicorn role”
It perhaps explains why men have “sky-high expectations,” Conor Hughes, a HR consultant, echoes.
“They want that dream job title, the perfect culture fit, and a supreme compensation package right out of the gate,” he explains. “Instead of being open to decent opportunities as stepping stones, a lot of them would rather ride the unemployment wave while holding out for that unicorn role.”
After all, that’s what they’ve seen their predecessors enjoy.
“This shift might make men more selective or hesitant, waiting for roles that match their expectations or past norms, which could lead to longer periods of unemployment,” Maleh agrees.
“There’s an underlying narrative, often unspoken, about what constitutes ‘acceptable’ work for men,” Maleh concludes, adding that societal pressure for men to be breadwinners deters them from taking what they might view as “lesser” jobs—even temporarily.