#GraduateUnemployment

A new study has confirmed the suspicions of many young job seekers: Gen Z graduates are entering a job market far harsher than the one faced by their millennial predecessors. According to Kickresume, 58% of graduates in the past year are still searching for their first job, nearly twice the rate seen among millennials and Gen X at the beginning of their careers. The challenges are so severe that only 12% of recent graduates have secured a full-time position by the time they leave university—one-third the proportion seen in prior generations. This shift marks a fundamental break from the age-old assumption that a college degree guarantees a career path, and its ripple effects are being felt globally, including in Thailand, where young people are also facing rising uncertainty about their economic futures (Fortune).

Thailand’s aspiring tech professionals have long looked to computer science as a sure path to lucrative employment. However, new research suggests this once-reliable route may be faltering—reflecting unexpected global shifts that are raising urgent questions for education policy and career planning in the Kingdom. According to a recent report by the New York Federal Reserve, unemployment rates among recent computer science (CS) and computer engineering graduates in the United States have surged, ranking among the highest for all majors and exposing vulnerabilities in the supposed “future-proof” tech job market (New York Fed).