Stuck at Both Ends: Why Zoomers Can’t Break In and Boomers Can’t Break Out of the Job Market
Sarah has just graduated from college with a degree in computer science and excellent grades. She’s sent out over 400 job applications in six months. She’s gotten three interviews. Zero offers.
Meanwhile, her neighbor Robert is 67 years old and desperately wants to retire. He has been working at the same company for 25 years, but his 401 (k) balance won’t cover his living expenses. He can’t afford to stop working, even though his body is telling him it’s time to rest.
If this sounds like your family, your neighborhood, or your situation, you’re witnessing something unprecedented in American history. We have a job market where the youngest workers can’t get in and the oldest workers can’t get out. Both generations are trapped, but for entirely different reasons. Yet, in the face of these challenges, both Sarah and Robert continue to persevere, a testament to their resilience and determination.
We’ve been helping people navigate career transitions for decades, and we’ve never seen anything quite like this. The traditional employment system that worked for previous generations is breaking down in real time. But understanding what’s happening is the first step toward finding a solution that works for you, regardless of your age.
The Gen Z Struggle: Locked Out Before They Start
Let’s start with the sobering reality facing young Americans today. When previous generations graduated from college, about 25% could expect to be unemployed in their first year of employment. Today, nearly 60% of fresh-faced Gen Z graduates struggle to land a job, according to a recent Fortune analysis.
This isn’t because Gen Z lacks skills or motivation. This is because the entry-level job market has undergone a fundamental change. Technology, particularly AI, is eliminating many of the traditional first jobs that previous generations used as stepping stones into their careers.
It has become so competitive that young professionals are treating job hunting like a full-time job in itself. Some are sending out as many as 1,700 applications with no success. The strategy has become a pure numbers game, and even that isn’t working. These are qualified, motivated young adults who can’t find a way into the workforce.
Why Entry-Level Jobs Are Disappearing
The root cause of Gen Z’s employment crisis isn’t a recession or economic downturn. It represents a fundamental shift in how companies operate. AI and automation are eliminating many of the routine, entry-level tasks that were once ideal training grounds for new graduates.
Companies no longer need as many junior analysts, administrative assistants, or research associates, as software can handle those functions more efficiently and cost-effectively. The jobs that remain require more experience than new graduates typically have, creating an impossible catch-22.
Over two-thirds of Gen Z candidates (68%) say AI has made the job search more competitive. They’re not just competing against other human candidates anymore—they’re competing against the possibility that companies will automate the work entirely.
The Boomer Trap: Too Old to Hire, Too Poor to Retire
On the other end of the age spectrum, baby boomers are facing their own set of challenges. The most significant wave of Americans in history is hitting retirement age, but most can’t afford to stop working.
According to the Alliance for Lifetime Income’s Peak Boomer Impact Study, two-thirds of Americans turning 65 between 2024 and 2030 are not financially prepared for retirement. More than half—52.5%—have less than $250,000 in retirement assets and will have to rely primarily on Social Security as their primary income source.
The average expected Social Security benefit for these “peak boomers” is about $22,000 a year. But the average household run by an American older than 65 spends more than $4,000 a month—nearly $50,000 a year. The math doesn’t work.
This financial reality has given rise to a new phenomenon: “unretiring.” Research from Standard Life found that 14% of baby boomers and late Gen Xers have already returned to work after retiring, and another 4% are considering it. Among men over 55, nearly 25% plan to return to their careers because their retirement income is no longer sufficient to support their lifestyle.
The Perfect Storm: When Demographic Trends Collide
What makes this situation unprecedented is that both crises are happening simultaneously, creating a perfect storm in the job market. You have millions of young people trying to enter the workforce, just as millions of older people are being forced to stay in it longer than planned.
The economic impact is staggering. Between 2024 and 2030, employers will need to replace between 10.8 million and 14.8 million peak baby boomer employees across industries such as manufacturing, construction, healthcare, education, and professional services. But many of these roles are being eliminated rather than filled.
Meanwhile, Gen Z represents 30% of the world’s population and is expected to account for 27% of the workforce by 2025—if they can find jobs. The disconnect between available workers and available opportunities is creating economic inefficiencies that hurt everyone.
Traditional Career Advice Doesn’t Work Anymore
If you’re struggling with either end of this problem, you’ve probably received plenty of well-meaning advice that doesn’t help. “Network more.” “Update your resume.” “Consider a career change.” “Just keep applying.”
The problem with this advice is that it assumes the job market works the same way it did 20 or 30 years ago. It assumes that good jobs exist in sufficient numbers and that persistence will eventually pay off. But what happens when the fundamental structure of employment has changed? This realization calls for a new approach to career advice, one that acknowledges the changing landscape and empowers individuals to take control of their careers.
This is where our approach at The Entrepreneur’s Source® becomes crucial. While everyone else is competing for a shrinking number of traditional employment opportunities, we help people explore a different path: career ownership. This approach empowers individuals to create their own jobs, rather than waiting for them to appear.
Career ownership means building something that belongs to you. Instead of depending on someone else to create a job for you, you create your economic opportunity. This concept is not just a theoretical idea, but a tangible possibility that can transform the way we think about work and employment.
For Gen Z, career ownership could involve leveraging their digital skills and fresh perspectives to create businesses that cater to emerging markets. Instead of waiting to be hired as a social media coordinator, they could establish a digital marketing consultancy that serves small businesses.
For Baby Boomers, career ownership offers a way to leverage decades of experience and industry knowledge into a business that can provide both current income and long-term financial security. Instead of hoping their savings will last, they can build something that continues generating revenue.
A Career Ownership Coach™ understands that different generations face different challenges and opportunities. They don’t apply one-size-fits-all solutions—they help you leverage your unique situation, whether you’re 22 or 62.
For younger clients, the coaching process often focuses on identifying opportunities that don’t require extensive experience but do benefit from energy, adaptability, and fresh thinking. Many successful franchise concepts are explicitly designed for first-time business owners and provide the training and support that traditional employers no longer offer.
For older clients, the focus shifts to leveraging existing expertise and relationships. A coach helps you identify how your industry knowledge, professional network, and accumulated wisdom can become the foundation for a business that provides both meaning and financial security.
The coaching process starts with honest assessment. What are your real financial needs? What are your risk tolerances? What kind of lifestyle do you want to create? A good coach helps you answer these questions without the pressure of fitting into someone else’s hiring criteria.
Then comes education about opportunities you might not have considered. Most people have a minimal understanding of business ownership options. Your coach introduces you to possibilities ranging from proven franchise systems to acquisition opportunities in traditional industries.
Throughout the process, your Career Ownership Coach™ provides the emotional support and practical guidance needed during a major life transition. Whether you’re dealing with the frustration of job search rejection or the anxiety of leaving traditional employment, having an experienced guide makes the journey feel more manageable.
We’ve helped thousands of people escape the traditional employment trap by assisting them to build their own opportunities. The solutions look different for different generations, but the principle remains the same: take control of your economic future instead of relying on someone else to provide it.
Take Jessica, a recent marketing graduate who spent eight months getting rejection after rejection from traditional employers. Working with her Career Ownership Coach™, she discovered a franchise opportunity in the growing field of senior care coordination. Her business serves aging boomers who need help navigating healthcare and social services—a market that’s exploding as the population ages.
Or consider Frank, a 63-year-old manufacturing supervisor whose plant closed down. Instead of competing with younger workers for similar positions, he used his industry expertise to acquire a small precision machining business. He now employs 12 people and has built something he can eventually sell to fund his retirement.
The Opportunity Hidden in Crisis
Here’s what most people miss about the current job market crisis: it’s creating unprecedented opportunities for those who think differently. While everyone is competing for traditional employment, the market for entrepreneurial solutions remains wide open.
The collision between these two generations isn’t just a problem—it’s an opportunity for collaboration and innovation that could reshape how we think about work and business.
Whether you’re a recent graduate sending out application after application or a seasoned professional wondering if you’ll ever be able to retire, you have more control over your situation than you might realize.
The job market may be struggling, but the market for goods and services remains robust. People still need problems solved, services provided, and products delivered. The question isn’t whether opportunities exist—it’s whether you’ll pursue them as an employee or as an owner.
Career ownership isn’t about taking huge risks or betting everything on an untested idea. It’s about finding proven systems and opportunities that match your skills, interests, and financial situation. It’s about building something that can’t be eliminated by corporate restructuring or replaced by automation.
Your Next Step
If you’re tired of being trapped by a job market that doesn’t work for your generation, it’s time to explore a different approach. Career ownership offers a path forward that doesn’t depend on convincing someone else to hire you or hoping the employment system will magically fix itself.
A Career Ownership Coach can help you understand the options available for your specific situation. The initial conversation costs nothing, but it could change everything. You’ll learn about opportunities that match your background and goals, understand the real costs and timelines involved, and start to see yourself as a business owner rather than just a job seeker.
Whether you’re 22 and can’t get your foot in the door or 62 and can’t afford to walk away, career ownership offers a way to stop depending on others for your economic security. You can build something that belongs to you, serves real customers, and provides the income and satisfaction you’re looking for.
The traditional job market might be stuck, but your future doesn’t have to be. Your Career Ownership Coach™ is ready to show you what’s possible when you stop waiting for someone else to create your opportunity and start building it yourself.
About Your Career Revolution
Our mission is to help individuals explore self-sufficiency as an alternative career.
We help them define their Income, Lifestyle, Wealth, and Equity goals and provide education on the best ways to achieve them. We don’t sell franchises – we help people achieve their dreams of self-sufficiency through business ownership. The approach is different, the experience is different. And it works.
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