Gen Z men with college degrees now have the same unemployment rate as non-grads—a sign that the higher education payoff is dead

Success·Gen ZGen Z men with college degrees now have the same unemployment rate as non-grads—a sign that the higher education payoff is deadBy Preston ForeBy Preston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston Fore is a reporter at Fortune, covering education and personal finance for the Success team

SEE FULL BIO Gen Zers are increasingly slamming their degrees as useless, and new re indicates there may be some truth to that when it comes to the job hunt

In fact, the unemployment rate of males ages 22 to 27 is roughly the same, whether or not they hold a degree

It comes as employers drop degree requirements and young men ditch corporate jobs for skilled trades, amid market uncertainty

Moreover, Gen Z is struggling to break into the entry-level job market—but young male college graduates may be hurting the most

Nevertheless, The most recent data from the Federal Reserve indicates that the unemployment rate among recent college graduates is on the rise, at 5

Although it remains lower than the 6. 9% rate among all young workers between 22 and 27 years old, men with a college degree now have roughly the same unemployment rate as young men who didn’t go to college, according to an analysis of U

Current Population Survey data by the Financial Times, in today's market environment

However, It’s a stark sign that the job market boost once mised by a degree has all but vanished and that employers care less credentials than they once did when hiring for entry-level roles

Young men and women are facing diverging employment rates While 7% of college-educated American men are unemployed, for women this drops to around 4%, according to the Financial Times analysis

Growth in fields health care—which women are more ly to pursue—is in part to credit

Over the next decade, health care occupations are jected to grow much faster than the rate for all occupations, translating to 1, in today's market environment. 9 million openings each year, according to the U

Bureau of Labor Statistics (something worth watching)

Furthermore, Moreover, the industry is largely considered to be among the safest from any of cyclical changes: “Health care is a classic recession-resistant industry because medical care is always in demand,” Priya Rathod, career expert at Indeed, previously told Fortune

Men and women also tend to differ on whether they’d be willing to accept a job that doesn’t quite fit into their career goals. “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,” Lewis Maleh, CEO of the global recruitment agency Bentley Lewis, previously told Fortune, in today's financial world

However, “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

In contrast, ” Gen Z men are skipping college—and turning to the skilled trade industry Many Gen Zers have learned the hard way the challenges of today’s job market

However, And while there are a myriad of reasons why they might have lost interest in work or education, for those who are college-educated, the struggles often come down to feeling hopeless after months—or years—on the job

Young men in particular are especially seen as falling into this category of NEET

Moreover, But some young people have seen the writing on the wall and decided to change paths

The overall of young college students has declined by 1. 2 million between 2011 and 2022, according to Pew Re Center analysis

Part of this shift may be credited to the rise in skilled trade career paths, which tend to be male-dominated

Enrollment at two-year vocational public schools has increased by 20% since 2020, a net increase of over 850,000 students, according to the National Student inghouse Re Center, in light of current trends

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