Gen Z's broken school-to-work pipeline

By Axios' Erica Pandey , originally published on Axios July 15 2025

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America’s next wave of workers is stuck in a misaligned job market: The career guidance they’re getting from their parents, teachers and counselors isn’t in sync with their economic reality, according to a new report from the Schultz Family Foundation and HarrisX.

Why it matters: The disconnect is driving youth unemployment — and leaving many young people uneasy about their place in the workforce.

The big picture: AI is changing the job market faster than ever, but the generation of workers that will be working on and with this new technology doesn't feel ready to do so.

• 46% of young people surveyed say they’re unsure about or unprepared for the jobs of the future.
• "That’s a real alarm bell for our nation," says Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a managing director at the Schultz Family Foundation. "The people who are essential to helping support young people are fundamentally misaligned."

Zoom in: Study authors polled thousands of 16- to 24-year-olds, parents of young adults, counselors, educators and employers. They found clear contrasts between how each group viewed today’s job market.

• Take job prospects. Just 43% of young people say there are enough opportunities for job-seekers, compared with 71% of employers.
• 53% of parents and 57% of counselors say there are enough jobs.

"Parents are working off of an outdated playbook," says Dritan Nesho, CEO of HarrisX. "It's one of the key reasons why we see these young adults are lost. The resource they rely on the most is present but not engaged in the right ways."

• 66% of parents think their kids should take paths different for their own, but the vast majority (79%) of parents say they draw on personal experience when giving career advice. Those experiences don't line up with the rapidly changing labor market young graduates are facing today.
• Counselors and educators are also overwhelmed. 58% say today's education and job market resources aren't effectively guiding young people.

The other side: The employers who are hiring this next generation of workers have their own gripes. 44% think young people are ill-prepared for entering the workforce.

• But employers themselves need to be the ones providing that experience, study authors say. "Employers all say the correct things about wanting to help America's youth, but they create unrealistic barriers," says HarrisX's Nesho.
• 77% require at least a year of experience for entry-level roles, but just 38% offer internships. 43% require a four-year degree for entry-level jobs, but 40% of them say they keep that requirement because it's industry practice, not because it's needed to do the job.

Case in point: Aaliyah Kashem, a 22-year-old young woman in New York City, tells Axios she's currently working as a security guard at a Manhattan building and would like to move into a career in business or health care.

• Kashem says "college is needed," but it's also not affordable right now. She says she's building up communication and customer service skills in her job, but isn't sure what's next.
• "I'm taking things one step at a time," Kashem says. "I have all these skills, but how do I put that on a resume to show what I know?"

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