Pandemic Grads Hit Ghost Jobs and NYC Rent Wall

Solving America's Problems · Apr 13, 2026 · 19m · transcript

Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley open by noting half of recent college graduates work jobs that don’t match their degree and entry-level professional work is being cut faster than any prior downturn. They interview 27-year-old New York City HR professional Kathryn Conley, who studied international studies, describes graduating with soft skills plus a distrust of the system, and says she fell into HR partly because the job market was tough. She recounts starting her first job remotely during the pandemic, then relearning workplace norms in-office, and describes paying $3,000 rent for…