Are Young College Graduates Losing Their Edge in the Job Market?

High school graduates in their twenties have consistently experienced a higher unemployment rate than college graduates in the same age range. However, the unemployment gap between the two education groups has recently narrowed, reaching its lowest level since the late 1970s. This Economic Commentary shows that this narrowing coincides with a decades-long decline, one that began around 2000, in the job-finding rate among young college graduates.

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Publication Details

Journal
Economic Commentary (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland)
Published
2025-11-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26509/frbc-ec-202514
Primary Topic
Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Are Young College Graduates Losing Their Edge in the Job Market?

Economic Commentary (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland)
Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
article

Are Young College Graduates Losing Their Edge in the Job Market?

article en

Abstract

High school graduates in their twenties have consistently experienced a higher unemployment rate than college graduates in the same age range. However, the unemployment gap between the two education groups has recently narrowed, reaching its lowest level since the late 1970s. This Economic Commentary shows that this narrowing coincides with a decades-long decline, one that began around 2000, in the job-finding rate among young college graduates.

Economic Commentary (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland)(2025-14)
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (US)
Decent work and economic growth
Openalex Percentile: Top 28%
Labor market dynamics and wage inequality
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Are Young College Graduates Losing Their Edge in the Job Market? · Economic Commentary (Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland) (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS