The unemployment rate rose to 3.9% last month, the highest level in two years. AdvertisementGen Z and millennials entering the job market or in the early stages of their careers are facing a much tougher job market than in recent years, and many are adjusting their expectations for a dream career as the hiring landscape worsens. Despair about the ailing job market looks most acute among recent graduates, or students quickly approaching their graduation dates. AdvertisementOnly 44% of workers under 30 said they were "very satisfied" with their job, according to a 2023 Pew Research study. The job market boomed during the pandemic, with the unemployment rate going from 6.4% at the beginning of 2021 to 3.5% at the end of 2022.

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Persons: Z, —, Gen Zers, Harry Holzer, Natasha Bernfeld, Bernfeld, Larry Jackson, he's, they've, Jackson, Emily Bianchi, Bianchi, it's, Georgetown's Holzer, It's, Dua Organizations: Service, Federal Reserve, Challenger, McKinsey & Company, Labor Department, UC Berkeley's, Pew, Emory University Locations: Georgetown, New York, Dua