Trending Now - Study Reveals Remote Work, Not AI, Hinders Youth Employment

WHO:

AP News - The study was conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, led by research economist Natalia Emanuel.

WHAT:

ABC News Business - A study found that the rise of remote work has made businesses more reluctant to hire young, inexperienced workers.

AP News - The unemployment rate among young college graduates in "remotable" jobs rose by about 1 percentage point from 2017-2019 to 2022-2024.

AP News - The unemployment rate for college graduates under 29 rose 20% from before the pandemic to 3.7%, on average, in 2022-2025.

AP News - For college graduates aged 22 through 27, unemployment reached 5.8% last year, the highest outside the pandemic since 2012.

AP News - The study concluded that remote work is responsible for nearly two-thirds of the rise in the unemployment rate for young college graduates since the pandemic.

WHERE:

AP News - The study analyzed data from an unnamed Fortune 500 tech company.

WHEN:

AP News - The study compared data from 2017-2019 to 2022-2024.

WHY:

AP News - Businesses are reluctant to hire new college graduates into remote work because it is harder to train and mentor them if they work outside of the office.

AP News - The study noted that the worsening employment picture for young college grads pre-dates the development of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT.

HOW:

AP News - The study compared occupations that can be done remotely with those that are done in person.

AP News - The study found that when the unnamed tech company's offices were closed and staff worked remotely, the firm hired fewer inexperienced workers and more experienced workers.

(UPDATED June 1, 2026 18:56 UTC)

A recent study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, led by research economist Natalia Emanuel, reveals that the rise of remote work has made businesses increasingly hesitant to hire young, inexperienced workers. The research indicates that the unemployment rate among young college graduates in "remotable" jobs increased by about one percentage point from the years 2017 to 2019 compared to 2022 to 2024, with the overall unemployment rate for college graduates under 29 rising by 20% since before the pandemic. The study, which analyzed data from a Fortune 500 tech company, concluded that nearly two-thirds of the increase in unemployment for young college graduates can be attributed to remote work, as companies find it more challenging to train and mentor new hires outside of the office.