Millions of Gen Zers are facing unemployment as entry-level office roles get absorbed by AI, and millennials are regretting taking out thousands in student loans for careers that now have significantly diminished prospects. Now, the CEO of the world’s biggest talent company, Randstad, has confirmed what many young grads are already fearing: The traditional college-to-office pipeline is dead.
“People need to reflect on—taking a student loan, going to college and being trained or educated for a profession that is rapidly changing—whether that’s still the right path,” Sander van ’t Noordende, the global CEO of Randstad, told Fortune.
“We all grew up, with our parents saying, ‘go do something in college or university and then do something in an office,’ that path that used to work for a long time is starting to break,” he added.
“You already see that with the graduates finding it harder to find a job. You see that in professions like marketing, communications, design… just look at how good AI already is at some of that.”
Under his helm, the staffing company places around half a million workers in jobs every week—and he has bad news for those who have already forked out thousands for their degree in the hopes of nabbing a cushy office role: You may have more luck landing bartending, barista, or building jobs.
The white-collar job market is frozen—now bartenders, baristas and builders are the future of work
Tech leaders have consistently warned that AI is already as good as entry-level workers and that it could halve white-collar jobs by 2030. In fact, a “first-of-its-kind” Stanford University study has warned that the new technology is already having “significant and disproportionate impact” on Gen Z. Bartenders and baristas are even seeing bigger pay raises than desk workers, right now.
“Jobs will change—and are changing—but also new jobs will emerge,” van ’t Noordende echoed. “There is a massive demand in skilled trades, mechanical engineers, machine operators, maintenance engineers, forklift drivers, truck drivers—you name it.”
With the white-collar job market seemingly frozen, van ’t Noordende said it’s no longer “good advice” to tell young people to follow their passions.
“No, learn a craft or a trade or a skill or a profession, where you can make a good living and provide for you and your family, is much better advice than follow your passion.”
Further making his case: The U.K. government has just announced it’ll be splurging $965 million into apprenticeships to help place tens of thousands of unemployed young people into the jobs that they think are the future—and they’re all in hospitality, retail, and AI.
But for those hell-bent on going to college, van ’t Noordende stressed that STEM subjects—which are studied in China at twice the rate of the U.S. and parts of Europe—will likely remain in demand.
And his advice to those who’ve already wasted time and money on a degree that’s dwindling in relevance? “Retrain. Learning new skills always good.”
“Look around you, and where you see the opportunities that match with your skills and your background and go there,” van ’t Noordende added. But he warned that at some point, you may just “have to bite the bullet and say, ‘Okay, this is not working.’”
The CEO stressed that you’re not alone; many people are currently doing exactly that. And that ultimately, going from a desk job to becoming a plumber, teacher, or nurse, van ’t Noordende says, requires a mindset shift. It’s not a failure if you end up doing work outside your field of study—it’s just adjusting to what actually works. “You have to come off your chair and build skills,” he added.
