Young Job Seekers Say Endless Rejections Are Breaking the Social Contract
Four young workers describe the demoralizing grind of mass applications and ghosting employers as a Guardian series tracks their search for careers.
A growing number of young job seekers say they feel systematically shut out of the labor market, citing relentless application cycles, sparse feedback, and employers who never bother to send rejection notices. The Guardian is launching a new series following eight young people as they navigate what many describe as a deeply broken hiring landscape.
In the opening installment, four participants detail the psychological toll of submitting application after application with little to show for it. One described applying to any available position simply to stay active in the search, expressing frustration that the process had become a full-time job in itself — one that pays nothing and offers no guarantee of an outcome.
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A recurring grievance among participants is the widespread practice of employer ghosting, in which companies fail to send even a standard rejection email after a candidate applies or interviews. While businesses face no legal obligation to respond to unsuccessful applicants, those profiled argue that basic professional courtesy demands acknowledgment. The absence of any response compounds the sense of powerlessness candidates already feel in a lopsided market.
The participants' accounts reflect broader anxieties about opportunity and economic mobility among younger generations. The phrase "the social contract is broken" emerged as a shared sentiment — a belief that the implicit promise of education, effort, and eventual stable employment no longer holds the way it once did for prior generations.
The Guardian series plans to continue documenting the experiences of all eight individuals over time, offering a longitudinal look at youth employment challenges that policymakers and employers alike may find difficult to ignore. Continue reading at Business | The Guardian.
