Princeton PhD graduate applied to 2,300 jobs. He still can't find work

A Princeton PhD graduate has applied to more than 2,300 jobs since 2024 and still hasn't found work. The article describes the stagnation in the American job market, which affects those with academic degrees, and the impact of artificial intelligence on recruitment and job search processes.

Jack Weiss, a PhD graduate in chemical engineering from Princeton University, has applied to more than 2,300 jobs since completing his studies in 2024 and still hasn't found permanent employment. The article, by Lindsey Ellis of The Wall Street Journal, describes the deep stagnation in the American job market, which particularly affects those with academic degrees. Weiss initially sought scientific and post-doctoral positions, expanded to software engineering and even food preparation jobs, but encountered walls of silence. The article points to artificial intelligence as a key factor: it replaces certain skills, while simultaneously flooding employers with applications and being used to screen candidates. Weiss temporarily worked training AI models through the startup Mercor, but this income source also dried up. His story illustrates a broader phenomenon of a job market with few hires and few layoffs, where those with jobs do not leave them, and the unemployed remain outside the cycle.