Can America's Best Engine of Social Mobility Weather a Bad Job Market?

A new article examines whether CUNY—the New York City public college system often credited with upward mobility—can withstand a weakening early-career job market. The piece centers on Damir Shavkatov, a 22-year-old first-generation college graduate who began internship No. 6 in New York City after roles in a state senator’s office and a Fortune 500 company. It notes that unemployment is rising for young college degree holders, with the job market described as the worst for recent graduates since the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, while AI is expected to reshape the economy. The article says many CUNY students come from households earning under $30,000 per year, and that until recently, one in three struggled to find steady employment within 12 months of graduation. Eli Dvorkin of the Center for an Urban Future warns the promise of mobility is “under threat,” urging more paid internships and access to well-paying jobs. The question is framed around what happens to New York’s mobility pipeline if it stalls.