For Gen Z, the entry-level career ladder is getting steeper by the month—and there’s no sign of it letting up. Unemployment among recent grads has climbed to 5.8% (the highest since 2013, excluding the pandemic) as companies rethink hiring amid AI-driven productivity gains.
The pressure is already forcing young people to rethink what it takes to stand out—especially in fields where six-figure pay once felt like a given. But for those aiming for Wall Street, one Goldman Sachs executive has a blunt message for young professionals trying to get ahead: Know what you bring to the table.
“Think about one’s role and how that fits into the broader business environment,” David Kostin, Goldman Sachs’ chief U.S. equity strategist, said on the Goldman Sachs’ Exchanges podcast.
“If you understand where you sit and your contributions to the commercial process, then you can see how that changes over time.”
As AI-powered automation replaces jobs at a fraction of the cost of human labor, understanding the value of your own skills—and whether tools like ChatGPT can outperform them—has never been more critical. Investing in the development of in-demand skills may well determine whether you remain employable in the future.
