The other day, my nephew shared some thoughts about the job market that left me sighing.

After the pandemic, I thought things might improve, but it turns out it's not just that "kids today have a hard time finding jobs"; it's almost at its worst.

The unemployment rate for college graduates aged 22 to 27 is 5.6%.

This is higher than the overall average, and it's significantly higher compared to the average for all college graduates.

In simple terms, it's become common to hear that "even with a college degree, people can't find jobs."

In the past, it was still expected that "if you graduated from college, you'd find something"; now, that assumption feels broken.

What's even more amusing is the majors. While fields like anthropology and art have always been a bit tough, even computer-related fields are collapsing.

The unemployment rate for computer engineering and computer science is around 7%. This used to be almost a guarantee for employment.

There were many sayings about how you could make a living just by coding. But now, that's not the case either.

Why is this happening? Simply put, companies today are not hiring. Because the economy is uncertain, they've cut back on hiring altogether.

It's a strange situation where there are not many layoffs, but also no hiring. On the surface, it seems stable, right?

But for those preparing for employment, it feels like the door is locked. There are no openings.

This leads to underemployment. This is really serious. 42% of college graduates are doing "jobs that don't require a degree."

In simple terms, they are working part-time or doing jobs completely unrelated to their majors.

In fields like criminal justice, art, and performance, more than half are in this situation. At this point, a degree is not yielding a good return on investment.

There's a lot of talk these days about whether AI is to blame, and there are valid points on both sides.

It's true that some office jobs, especially entry-level positions, are decreasing. Tasks that used to be done by new hires are now being handled by AI. But according to experts, the core issue right now is not AI, but rather that "hiring itself has decreased." Companies are simply not hiring.

Hearing from the field is even more frustrating. One graduate said they applied to 200 places but only got 4 interviews.

As a result, many are moving back in with their parents, working part-time jobs to get by, and even considering starting their own businesses.

The number of people seeking counseling due to job stress is also increasing. This is not just an individual issue; it's a social problem in the U.S.

Interestingly, job openings themselves are not increasing. People are living longer. Retirement is also being delayed.

So, since those at the top aren't leaving, those at the bottom can't move up. Meanwhile, the number of college graduates continues to rise.

The number of positions remains the same, but the number of people is increasing. It's a structure where competition is becoming insane.

Ironically, jobs that used to require a bachelor's degree now require a master's. The standards keep rising.

Then, you have to spend more money on education.

What's more frightening is whether this is temporary or if it will continue structurally.

If this situation persists, the sentiment that "a college degree is useless" will become even stronger in the U.S.

The current job market for college graduates is truly not normal. It seems like those graduating now are caught in the toughest timing.