It’s not just college graduates struggling to find a professional job. What’s unusual is that professionals in their 40s and 50s are having a tough time, too, finding a job in this economy. They are furious, says Jason Johnson on MS NOW. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are failing to address the issue. His video is worth a watch:
Gen X friends have wondered if there’s some “Don’t Hire List” floating around with their name on it. Yes, I know that’s crazy. But a lot of really crazy shit is happening these days. Welcome to the Great Disruption.
Plenty of folks have noted how broken the hiring process is, the impact of AI’s white collar contraction, and many other factors, including age discrimination. While hard to prove, it’s a real thing, not discussed nearly enough. There needs to be some sort of enforcement mechanism so employers take age bias seriously.
Can we draw a line—a correlation probably— from today’s economic policies and how businesses and nonprofits are navigating the Trump economy to the strange un- and underemployment of mid-career professionals. I’ll report back on where my research and reporting leads me.
Some good advice
Inc. did a piece on the subject of Gen Xers out of work and provided a solution: they need to monetize their experience, expertise, and judgment. I’m going to pull out the AI piece since I think it’s spot on.
While Gen-Z pursues side hustles for identity and creative expression, 63 percent of Gen-X side hustlers cite straightforward extra income as their primary driver.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Only 44 percent of Gen-X freelancers have received AI skills training, compared with 71 percent of Gen-Zers. On the surface, that looks like a disadvantage.
If Gen-X can close the gap, they can catch up quickly. Eighty percent of side hustlers across all generations now use AI tools, with 74 percent calling it their “secret growth weapon.” AI doesn’t replace the expertise Gen-X has spent 30 years building. It amplifies it.
