350 recruitment officials gave their honest opinion on the Z generation, and only 8 % think they are ready to enter the labor market.

“When people talk about generation Z and the problems they face in terms of labor market preparation, I think they mainly think of the graduate Z generation of the university,” said Josh Millet, founder and CEO of the Prior to Employment Society Crititeria. Fortune. “This part of the American dream certainly goes through a difficult period.”

Only 8 % of recruitment professionals believe that generation Z is prepared for the world of work, according to a new Criteria report which interviewed more than 350 managers of small and large companies. But they are not the only ones to doubt that new graduates are ready to embark on a white cervix: even young talents are skeptical about their own preparation. Less than a quarter, or 24 %, of generation Z declares that its generation is ready to start working. Millet says he can be tempting to put the problem on the back of the AI. Even if there are problems related to entry -level positions in advanced technologies, young natives of digital are better prepared than most to adapt in terms of skills. The real culprit of this problem of preparation for the labor market is the decreasing value of American university degrees.

“Hearing generation Z say the same thing is a loss of collective confidence in (the) university degree. I think it is the continuation of a trend that is really pronounced,” continues Millet. “I have the impression that it is actually only a crisis in the United States and that it is because the relative value of the university diploma is in free fall.”

While office workers feel the effects – the CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, even predicting that 50 % of all white -collar stations will be deleted in the next five years – front -line workers are supported in the jobs of jobs. This is because they are looking for careers that do not require a college diploma, which can be more safe from the new challenges of the labor market.

“The AI ​​probably does not help … If you think of university graduates and the lack of employment opportunities in this generation, yes, they are trying to enter sectors where hiring rates are simply very low at the moment,” explains Millet. “But I can tell you that in the United States, the Z generation which occupies front line positions does not meet these challenges.”

A “crisis of confidence” in university degrees and a push towards a recruitment based on skills

Generation Z questions its choice to go to university for years. While tuition fees are reaching unaffordable heights, student debt makes generations of graduates sink and that the skills landscape evolve quickly, they fear that their diplomas, which once promised a six -figure success, are made superfluous. We already see it with software engineers and consultants.

“It’s a perfect storm,” says Millet. “Employers abandon the diploma requirements at the same time as we have an excess offer of university graduates, a crisis of confidence in what the diploma really means in terms of preparing for labor, and this is internalized by graduate. »»

The free fall value of university degrees is even more pronounced when it comes to sectors that really seek to develop. Less than half of all the recruit professionals plan to hire more in 2026, according to the Crititeria report, but this varies according to the sector. About 68 % of recruitment officials in recruitment/recruitment companies, 59 % in health companies, 57 % in manufacturing companies and 50 % in transport and logistics agencies plan to hire more next year. Meanwhile, sectors such as technology, finance and non -profit organizations plan to hire less than the average employer.

Sectors such as health, manufacturing industry and transport are faced with a staff shortage, and many of them can be provided by talents without expensive university diploma. Millet also claims that employers from all sectors, regardless of the sector, focus on skills -based recruitment. Some employers like Google, Microsoft and Ey have all offered high -level jobs to candidates without diploma, emphasizing professional experience and special qualifications. Given that recruitment officials receive thousands of candidates for a single position, and even unemployed career professionals are competing for the same position, graduates of the Z generation who have faced smaller internship cycles are faced with fierce competition.

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