The Rise of NEETs Among Gen-Z Males
Among young males, a growing group from Generation Z is rejecting significant life milestones and is increasingly identified as NEET (not in employment, education, or training). New research shows that male graduates from Generation Z are more likely than their female counterparts to be among those who do not prefer working or pursuing further qualifications.
According to the International Labour Organization, one in five young people globally is currently classified as NEET. In the U.S., this rate rises to around 11.2% among young adults, while in the UK, approximately 3 million members of Generation Z are no longer economically active. Bloomberg's analysis indicates that one in five males under the age of 25 is unemployed and not actively seeking work, while the labor force participation rate among female Generation Z university graduates is steadily increasing.
Lewis Maleh, CEO of the global recruitment agency Bentley Lewis, stated that women have a higher participation rate in the workforce because they are more flexible in accepting part-time or sub-qualification job offers that do not fully align with their career goals. According to Maleh, men face difficulties in finding jobs because they tend to wait for roles that closely align with their ideal career paths or offer the status they deem appropriate.
A Bankrate study published in September 2023 reported that men constituted nearly three-quarters of graduates with a bachelor's degree in the top 20 highest-paying fields. However, male-dominated sectors like technology and finance have experienced mass layoffs and slowdowns in graduate programs due to excessive hiring during the pandemic and subsequent economic uncertainty.