42% of recent US college graduates work in jobs not requiring a degree — Fortune
In the United States, about 42% of recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 were working in June in positions that typically do not require a bachelor’s degree. The figure rose from 41.8% in May, but was below 42.4% in November 2025 and the pandemic high of 43.4% in October 2020, Fortune reports, citing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York tracker.
Unemployment among graduates
The unemployment rate among recent graduates in June was 5.7%, compared with 4.1% among all workers. According to the New York Fed, from the start of these statistics in 1990 through 2018, young graduates had a higher unemployment rate than all workers during only eight months. Since January 2021, this has been recorded every month. The largest gap, 1.8 percentage points, was registered in April 2025.
The indicators also differ depending on the field of study. According to calculations based on 2024 US Census data, the highest share of people employed in jobs below their education level was among criminal justice graduates, at 65.8%, performing arts graduates, at 63.9%, and fine arts graduates, at 58.9%.
At the same time, the unemployment rate among computer engineering graduates reached 7.8%, while among computer science graduates it was 7%. The lowest rates were recorded among special education specialists, at 0.7%, elementary education specialists, at 1.2%, and nursing specialists, at 2.1%.
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The theory of elite overproduction
Turchin, an emeritus professor at the University of Connecticut, links the surplus of young people with degrees to the concept of “elite overproduction.” According to his theory, society can produce more people seeking elite status than it has corresponding positions. He believes that an excess of graduates with elite education compared with the number of jobs reduces the value of a degree.
Youth protests in different countries
Fortune also cites examples of youth protests in Nepal, India and France. In Nepal, after 26 social platforms were banned in September 2025, protesters set fire to government buildings and politicians’ homes, and Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli resigned. According to the publication, at least 76 people were killed, while the country’s youth unemployment rate was about 21%.
In France, school students have been leaving classes since mid-September because of a shortage of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and the Parcoursup platform, which determines admission to universities. On October 17, France’s Interior Ministry reported 550,000 protest participants. By that time, the demonstrations had also expanded to include demands concerning the cost of living and were accompanied by violence in some cities.
