🥂 New Year, New Rules of Work: What Actually Changed — and What Didn’t

🎇 Happy New Year!

Fresh calendar. Fresh intentions. And for many who follow the news, fresh worry. You're a parent of a teen or twenty-something like I am, so I’m guessing there’s a bit of a familiar knot in your stomach:

Are the kids on the right track for their future?

Is the advice we're giving still... right?

Let's talk about what actually changed in the last year or two — and what didn't.

📆 Before we go any further, a quick heads-up:
Next week I’m hosting a short, practical live session for parents on what’s really happening to early-career jobs and how families should respond. No hype. No doom. Just clarity. Details below.

📉 What Actually Changed

A few things in the early career job market have shifted — structurally — and they’re not snapping back just because the calendar flipped.

AI is already reshaping early career work.
Not in sci-fi ways. In subtle ones: fewer junior analysts, fewer coordinators, fewer “learn as you go” roles.

Entry-level jobs are thinner.
Not gone. But fewer. Employers are hiring more slowly, asking for more proof of readiness, and filtering harder at the bottom of the ladder.

“Potential” matters less than proof.
Degrees still matter in some fields, but experience — internships, projects, certifications, referrals — matters more than it did even five years ago.

Hiring is quieter and slower.
Longer timelines. More ghosting. More “we’ll circle back.” This is frustrating, but it’s now normal — not a personal failure.

None of this means your kid is lost.
It just means the map changed and the compass needs correcting.

🧭 What Didn’t Change

This part gets lost in the headlines:

✅ Capable people still build good careers — just not always quickly or linearly.
✅ Relationships still beat résumés.
✅ Effort still compounds.
✅ And parents still matter — not as fixers, but as calm interpreters of reality – and steady guides.

The rules changed.
The game didn’t disappear.

📰 The news that puts this in context

Here are three recent, free pieces worth skimming — following a clear arc from hopeful → concerning → practical.

📊  The good news (resilience + opportunity)
Despite all the noise, overall employment remains strong, and many sectors are still hiring — especially healthcare, skilled trades, engineering, and applied technical roles. The economy isn’t collapsing; it’s re-sorting.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Employment Situation Summary)
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

Entry-level openings are shrinking while competition climbs
Recent labor-market analysis shows job postings for younger and less experienced workers have declined compared with pre-pandemic levels — and Gen Z jobseekers today are facing fiercer competition and disruption as they try to break in. This isn’t about effort or motivation — it’s about fewer traditional “first rungs” and stiffer filters at the bottom of the ladder.Indeed Hiring Lab

Source: Indeed Hiring Lab — September 2025 Labor Market Update
https://www.hiringlab.org/2025/09/25/september-labor-market-squeeze-on-new-entrants/ Indeed Hiring Lab

This trend isn’t about motivation or effort — it’s about fewer true “starter” rungs on the career ladder.

A wide range of career experts emphasize that skills, experience, and demonstrable work — not just degrees — are what employers are prioritizing now. Practical guidance for early workers includes building portfolios of real projects, developing both soft and technical skills, and understanding which competencies matter most. These approaches help candidates prove capability even in a tighter hiring landscape. Extern

Source: Extern — Top Skills Employers Look for in Early Career Professionals
https://www.extern.com/post/skills-employers-look-for Extern

This reinforces the tactical truth: waiting passively is riskier than experimenting actively.

This reinforces a simple truth: waiting passively is riskier than experimenting actively.

You don’t need to read every article.
But it helps to know these shifts aren’t anecdotal — they’re systemic.

🛠️ One parent coaching move to try this week

Have a re-framing conversation — not a planning one.

Try this:

“I've been reading about how different the job market is now compared to when I started. I know it’s genuinely harder to get that first break. But harder doesn't mean impossible.
What kind of proof could you build that would help you stand out?”

Then stop talking. Let them respond.

Your job isn’t to solve it.
Your role is to normalize reality without panic — and offer support without pressure.

📊 A bit more on that live session…

🚨 Free. 60 minutes. Fast-paced. Practical.

Next week on January 8 at 1pm Pacific, I’m walking parents through:

If this newsletter resonates, this session will deliver the same straight talk — just live, with Q&A. 50 minutes of straight talk + 10 minutes for your questions.

“The Door to Entry-Level Jobs Is Narrowing — What Parents Need to Know Now”

▶️ Register here for 1:00 pm Pacific/4:00 pm Eastern
⏮️ Register here for a replay at 4:30pm Pacific/7:30 pm Eastern

If you found this useful, please consider forwarding it to one parent who’s quietly worried but not talking about it yet. Here is the link to subscribe.

🍾 To a New Year and new opportunities,
Barry

Guidance for parents supporting emerging adults in the age of AI & automation

Reach out any time: [email protected]