Youth Unemployment
The Youth Unemployment Crisis: A Late-Stage Capitalism Feature, Not a Bug
I. The Cold, Hard Numbers
Let’s start with the raw, unemotional data—because numbers, unlike governments, don’t lie (unless they stop reporting them).
- Thailand sees 700,000 – 800,000 newborns per year, meaning every year, a fresh cohort of future workers is born.
- Each year, about 300,000 students graduate with a bachelor’s degree, eager to enter the job market.
- Within five years, that means 1.5 million new graduates between the ages of 22–26 competing for jobs.
Now, where exactly are these jobs supposed to come from?
- Government? Hiring freezes.
- Banks? Closing branches, switching to ATMs and Cashless Transactions.
- Factories? They be hiring Myanmar workers now with foreman from the J£X Empire.
- Corporate sector? If someone’s been in a position for 25 years and doesn’t leave, then new grads have nowhere to go.
If nobody retires or resigns, then job creation slows to a trickle. The reality is that the economy is not expanding fast enough to absorb all these workers, especially when companies prioritize cost-cutting over hiring.
This is not a temporary glitch in the system. This is the system.
II. The Capitalist Dream Is Dead—Gen Z Knows It
Boomers and older millennials will say:
"Back in my day, we worked hard, bought a house, and climbed the corporate ladder!"
Yeah? Well, back in your day:
- A house didn’t cost 15–20 times your annual salary.
- A degree guaranteed a job.
- Wages weren’t stagnant for 30+ years.
Gen Z knows the math doesn’t add up.
- Work a 9-to-5 for low wages? Can’t even afford a house.
- Save for retirement? By the time they’re 60, pensions might not exist.
- Invest in traditional assets? Stocks are controlled by boomers who already own everything.
So why the hell would they play a rigged game?
This is why Gen Z is shifting toward collectivism—living with family, pooling resources, and rejecting individualist hustle culture. Why break your back for a paycheck that barely covers rent when you can live with your parents, split expenses, and figure out an alternative way to make money?
And while we’re at it, let’s not forget that China conveniently stopped reporting youth unemployment rates in 2023—because, well, when nearly 1 in 5 young people is unemployed, it’s kind of hard to keep pretending everything is fine.
Thailand’s not far behind. Factories are shutting down, and those banking jobs? Obsolete, thanks to digital transactions.
III. STEM Still Pays, But COVID Changed the Game
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers are still in demand.
- Developers, data scientists, cybersecurity experts—companies still need them.
- However, the pandemic caused a hiring slowdown and companies tightened their belts.
Even in high-demand industries, remote work and outsourcing mean companies don’t have to hire locally anymore.
So even if you’re skilled, you’re still competing with:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Remote workers from cheaper labor markets (Pajeets from fiverr, anyone?)
- Companies cutting costs whenever they can
It’s not about "just working harder." The system isn’t designed to reward effort anymore.
IV. The Rise of Degen Trading and Crypto as an Alternative Career
Since traditional jobs don’t pay, some Gen Zs are turning to riskier alternatives:
Yeah, it’s risky. But so is:
- Working a low-paying job and never affording a house
- Investing in the stock market where old money controls everything
- Betting your entire life on a company that will replace you in an instant
At least in trading, entrepreneurship, and investing, there’s some upside.
Some might say, “That’s gambling.”
Well, so is spending 40 years grinding in a job that might not even exist in 10 years.
The difference? In degen trading, at least you KNOW you’re gambling.
V. The Unstoppable Shift: A System That Can’t Hold Forever
Gen Z isn’t lazy—they’re just rational.
- Why grind away at a dead-end job when you can explore better alternatives?
- Why compete in a broken labor market when you can opt out and build something on your own?
- Why blindly follow capitalism’s promises when it hasn’t delivered for decades?
In the end, late-stage capitalism is collapsing under its own contradictions.
The system needs workers, but it won’t pay them enough to survive.
The system needs economic growth, but won’t allow younger generations to accumulate wealth.
The system relies on innovation, but punishes those who take risks outside the traditional model.
So Gen Z is choosing a different path.
And honestly? I don’t blame them.
