How Economic Challenges Are Weakening the Job Market — Especially for the Young
Rising costs and slowing growth are hitting young job seekers hardest. Explore how today’s economic climate is reshaping early career paths.
Note: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
The U.S. economy added a modest 50,000 jobs in December. It was below expectations and capped the weakest year for job growth since the pandemic. Employers added a total of 584,000 jobs for all of 2025, a big drop from the 2 million created in 2024. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4%, but the jobs report points to a soft market. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.
View the transcript of the story.
Key Term
Tariff — a tax on imported or exported goods
Warm-Up Questions
- How many fewer jobs per month were added in 2025 compared to 2024?
- What was the cause of the drop in hiring, according to President Trump? What reason do other experts give for the drop?
- When did President Trump begin imposing tariffs on imported goods?
- Why are Black workers disproportionately impacted by downturns, according to Andre Perry?
- Who (what demographic) is having the most difficult time finding work?
Essential Questions
- Why do you think hiring is weak despite other economic indicators pointing to a fast growing economy?
- What do you think might help improve hiring in the next year?
- Media literacy: What information do you think comes from interviewing individuals about their experiences looking for work that you might not get just from gathering employment numbers?
What Students Can Do
Examine the following graphic, then discuss:
- What was the relationship between overall unemployment and youth unemployment in 2023? How much has youth unemployment increased in 2025?
- What do you think are some typical reasons for youth unemployment being higher than overall unemployment? Why do you think that number is even higher in 2025?
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Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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