Originally published in The Journal.

“We’re moving ahead with another finalist. We’re sorry the timing didn’t work out on this occasion.”

Lauren got the email just hours before her screening call – the tech company had already filled the role. Jack’s rejection came after four interviews with a financial services firm. They liked him, they said, but opted for someone with “slightly more experience.”

For graduates in 2026, rejections like these have become routine when the applicants are not ghosted entirely.

This isn’t what they were promised.

Those born around the 2003 spike – who came of age through pandemic lockdowns and into a sluggish recovery – were told that if they worked hard and got the degree, the world would open its doors.

If that social contract feels broken, the broader numbers help explain why.

Employment in Ireland continued to grow into late 2025, but job numbers were only about 2% higher than a year earlier, a noticeable slowdown from the post-pandemic boom when annual growth was close to 7%. Meanwhile, youth unemployment has risen to roughly 12%, with younger workers disproportionately affected by weak entry-level hiring and structural shifts in the labour market.

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