NYC college graduates see higher unemployment than peers without degrees for first time in 15 years

According to recent labor statistics, the unemployment rate for New Yorkers aged 22 to 27 with a college degree reached 7.3% in March 2026, edging out the 7.1% rate for those without higher education. Mark Levine, the city comptroller, noted that this is the first occurrence in at least 15 years that degree holders have a higher jobless rate than their less-educated counterparts, a reversal from the 2011 pattern where non-degree workers faced a 13.6% rate.

The rise among college-educated youths has been gradual since the spring of 2024, while the rate for non-degree peers declined after the fall of that year. Levine linked the trend to growing AI deployment, citing a recent report that predicts up to 300,000 jobs and $14 billion in tax revenue could be at risk in New York. He also warned that the city’s concentration of white-collar jobs makes it especially vulnerable to AI-driven displacement.