College Degrees No Longer a Safety Net for Young Men in Today’s Job Market

A growing number of young men with college degrees are finding themselves locked out of the workforce. New data shows the unemployment rate for men ages 23 to 30 with bachelor’s degrees has climbed to 6%—surpassing not only their female peers but even men with only high school diplomas. Economists say the shift is tied to a slowing job market and the surge of hiring in female-dominated fields like health care, while male-heavy industries such as tech, manufacturing, and transportation face layoffs and stagnation. For graduates like 25-year-old Emanuel Barcenas, who has applied to hundreds of jobs after losing his engineering role in Michigan, the degree that once promised stability is no longer a guarantee.