America has the widest age divide in job-market optimism in the world, according to a new poll.
A new Gallup survey shows that young Americans have become far more downbeat about finding work than older generations.
In most countries, younger people tend to feel more hopeful about employment opportunities than older adults.
But in the U.S., only 43 percent of Americans between 15 and 34 said 2025 was a good time to find a job locally, compared with 64 percent of adults over 55—a 21-point gap.
Globally, the divide between generations is typically much narrower, with a median gap of around 10 points—but in most countries, it is older adults, not younger people, who tend to feel more pessimistic about job opportunities.
Very few countries show younger adults significantly less optimistic than seniors. Aside from the United States, Gallup found this pattern only in China, Serbia, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and Norway, where younger people trailed older adults in job-market confidence by at least 10 percentage points.
The shift marks a major reversal in the United States. Even during previous periods of economic anxiety in the early 2000s, younger Americans still tended to feel more hopeful about their job prospects than older generations.
Now, that optimism is collapsing.
The sharpest decline in confidence came from younger Americans with higher education who have not yet entered full-time work, according to Gallup analyst Benedict Vigers, who said concerns about artificial intelligence are likely playing a major role.
Others point to a shrinking number of entry-level opportunities and a hiring system increasingly driven by connections rather than qualifications.
“We’re cutting the career ladder off at the beginning,” Sam Hiner, executive director of the Young People’s Alliance, told Axios.
The reversal comes as President Donald Trump—who returned to office after winning the 2024 election on promises to tame prices following the pandemic-era inflation surge under former President Joe Biden—faces growing backlash over the economy.
Rising energy costs tied to Trump’s widely criticized conflict with Iran, combined with mounting cost-of-living pressures, have fueled public frustration, with polls showing declining confidence in his handling of the economy.
The latest ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that 76 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while 72 percent disapprove of his approach to inflation—up from 65 percent in February. Another 65 percent disapprove of his handling of the broader economy, matching his weakest ratings in years.
Meanwhile, a Gallup poll from March found that for the first time, more Americans said they were struggling at their jobs rather than thriving.
And that includes young Americans. Overall, confidence in the job market among younger Americans has fallen by 27 percentage points since 2023—nearly matching the 33-point collapse seen during the 2007–2009 financial crisis.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told the Daily Beast: “In President Trump’s first term, Americans enjoyed historic job, wage, and economic growth—along with the first drop in wealth inequality in decades—thanks to tax cuts, tariffs, deregulation, and energy abundance.
“As this same proven agenda continues taking effect in President Trump’s first term, Americans can count on the best being yet to come.”
