Entry-level hiring is getting squeezed, but the reasons aren’t as simple as “the economy is bad.” We sit down with David Brown, Americas CEO of Hays, and James Dusserre, assistant dean for placement and career services, to map what the 2026 job market actually looks like for new grads and early career professionals. The surprising part: GDP and unemployment can look okay while companies still pull back on junior openings, because the expectation of AI-driven productivity is changing how leaders plan headcount.
We dig into “slow to hire, slow to fire,” job hugging, and why reduced movement higher up the ladder hits first-time job seekers the hardest. From there, we explore the bigger questions AI raises: are jobs being eliminated now, or is fear of what’s coming freezing decisions? What happens to an organization in three to five years if it stops hiring and developing young talent? And where do guardrails fit when work is tied to identity, purpose, and social stability?
Then we get practical. When AI can generate both job descriptions and perfectly tailored resumes, “just apply online” becomes a losing strategy. We share a modern playbook for job search and career growth: referrals, targeted outreach to hiring managers, research-led messages, professional portfolios, first 90-day plans, and even short video introductions that cut through the noise. We also talk entrepreneurship and why younger workers increasingly treat careers as a portfolio of experiences, not a single ladder.
If you know someone graduating soon or trying to land that first serious role, share this conversation with them. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what’s working (or not working) in your job search right now.
Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.
Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.
For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or asghari@chapman.edu.
Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-feudal-future-podcast/
Tweet thoughts: @joelkotkin, @mtoplansky, #FeudalFuture #BeyondFeudalism
Learn more about Joel's book 'The Coming of Neo-Feudalism': https://amzn.to/3a1VV87
Sign Up For News & Alerts: http://joelkotkin.com/#subscribe
This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.
