Facing a difficult job market, young workers are considering pursuing business and law school in greater numbers.
It's no secret the current job market is difficult for job seekers:
The hiring rate in August was 3.2%, a level "last seen in 2013, when the economy was recovering from the Great Recession," according to Bankrate.
Of those who are unemployed, more than 26% "have been out of a job for more than six months, the highest since 2016."
For younger workers, the situation is even worse. According to Bankrate, "unemployment among 20- to 24-year-olds is nearly 1.5 percentage points higher than expected given today’s 4.3% national unemployment rate."
That higher unemployment rate holds not just for young workers but also for recent college graduates, over 5% of whom were unemployed in August.
Applications to law and business school programs are up:
Law school applications have increased 33% since last year.
Applications to graduate business programs increased 7% in 2025, on top of a 12% increase in 2024.
Why pursue another degree?
Some college graduates may be considering a law or business degree as a "strategic move to shield against economic downturns ahead."
Others may simply be looking to "buy time" while they consider how to face a job market that offers fewer prospects for white-collar work.
Instead of facing the bleak job market head-on, law school and MBA programs buy more time to figure out what’s next while safeguarding themselves against the technology."
Read more via Fortune via Yahoo Finance, Bankrate
Approximately one-third of global employees are working in settings where compensation is discussed freely, according to Kickresume's global survey.
Highlights from Kickresume's survey of 1,850 employees:
While one-third of respondents said compensation conversations happen openly at their organization, a similar proportion said they face workplace bans on discussing pay.
More than half have learned that a colleague earns more for equivalent responsibilities, with about one-third expressing frustration at the discovery. Women were notably more likely to report negative reactions than men (45% versus 33%).
Gen Z workers report roughly twice the rate of open salary discussions compared to Gen X colleagues, and younger employees show greater willingness to discuss compensation even when discouraged, while older workers more frequently avoid these conversations.
When pay topics arise in conversation, roughly one-third express curiosity while only a small fraction admit to jealousy.
40% of workers said they feel uneasy raising compensation with managers, and fewer than one-quarter describe these discussions as comfortable.
Close to half favor complete pay openness, though preferences differ notably by generation: younger workers show stronger support (approaching 50%) with minimal interest in privacy, while one-quarter of Gen X prefer keeping earnings confidential.
Almost half of women believe men face fewer obstacles obtaining raises, while under one-fifth of men recognize this disparity.
Read more via Kickresume.com
A significant number of dating app users are using the platforms for professional networking, according to a new ResumeBuilder.com survey.
Highlights from ResumeBuilder.com's survey of 2,225 dating app users:
One-third of dating app users told ResumeBuilder.com they have "used the platforms for job or career-related purposes."
Respondents to ResumeBuilder.com's survey said they leveraged dating apps to land "referrals, interviews, and even job offers."
Tinder, Bumble, and Facebook Dating were the most commonly cited dating platforms used by job seekers for professional networking.
The survey noted that the trend of using dating apps for professional networking appears to be "consistent across age groups, with 35% of dating app users ages 18 to 28, 34% of those 29 to 44, and 33% of those 45 to 55 reporting that they used dating apps for job-related purposes."
Why are respondents using dating apps for this purpose? 63% of respondents said they see dating apps as a way to "expand their network," while 42% "aimed to gain job leads or referrals." 40% said they saw dating apps as a way to get job offers, while 34% said they "hoped to get a job interview" and 38% said they were looking for "mentorship or career advice."
Read more via ResumeBuilder.com
