The 3 Reasons Young Finance Professionals Are Struggling to Get Hired
October 2026
Searching Smarter Podcast: The 3 Reasons Young Finance Professionals Are Struggling to Get Hired
Why are younger professionals finding it harder to enter the labour market, and what does that mean for the future of finance talent?
In this episode of Searching Smarter, host Jesse Skaff speaks with Ben Zweig, CEO of Revelio Labs, about the forces reshaping early-career hiring. From AI taking on traditional junior-level tasks to slower hiring and increasingly specific job requirements, they explore why getting the right match has become more difficult and why clearer thinking could matter more than ever.
About our guest
Ben Zweig is CEO of Revelio Labs, a workforce intelligence company that analyses employment data from sources including job listings, professional profiles, workforce sentiment, layoff notices and immigration filings. A PhD economist, Ben regularly shares insights on jobs, careers and hiring with outlets including CNBC and Bloomberg.
Why are younger workers finding it harder to get hired?
Ben explains that the difficulties facing early-career professionals are unlikely to have one simple cause. Instead, several changes in the labour market may be working together:
AI can now support tasks that historically sat with analysts and other junior professionals, including research, presentation work and other routine activity. Ben suggests this could make the technology more substitutive for younger workers while complementing the work of experienced professionals.
Finance may be particularly exposed because a relatively high proportion of its work can be supported by AI. The longer-term question is how firms develop future senior talent if fewer people enter through traditional junior roles.
The shift towards remote work could also be contributing. More experienced professionals may require less day-to-day mentoring and have established networks, while younger workers often benefit from learning alongside colleagues and building relationships in person. Ben notes that finance is less remote than some other industries, so this effect may be less pronounced within the sector.
The exceptionally tight labour market of 2022 encouraged many businesses to hire aggressively as they competed to retain and attract talent. Some firms may now have more employees than they need, reducing the number of new people entering their workforce even without significant layoffs.
AI has also made it easier to tailor CVs and cover letters and apply for roles at scale. Ben argues that this can create “signal jamming”, making it harder for employers to identify who is genuinely interested and well matched.
That may push businesses towards networks, reputation and previous experience, all areas where established professionals naturally have an advantage over people entering the market.
When the outlook is uncertain, businesses are more likely to favour someone who has delivered before rather than take a longer-term bet on potential. That can make early-career hiring harder today, but it could also create problems later if firms stop developing the people who would normally become their next generation of experienced professionals.
We’re in a 'low hire, low fire' environment where there’s just not a lot of matches being made.
Ben uses this phrase to describe a market where hiring activity is subdued and employers have more room to be selective. With fewer roles being filled, each decision can carry more scrutiny, increasing the pressure on professionals to show exactly where their experience fits.
That caution is also visible in the length of hiring processes. Jesse cites Revelio Labs data showing that time to fill in New York City rose from 19 days during the Great Resignation to a peak of 57 days, with finance sitting at around 50 days. Ben notes that this metric should not be viewed in isolation, with wage pressure, candidate supply and job-posting demand all helping to show whether a market is genuinely tight or whether friction in the hiring process is slowing decisions.
Why specificity matters more than application volume
Technology is making it easier to apply for jobs, but applying to more roles does not necessarily produce better matches. One of the strongest themes in the conversation is taxonomy: how employers and professionals describe jobs, skills and experience. Broad titles such as engineer, economist or data scientist can mean very different things between organisations.
Ben uses his own experience as an example. Calling himself an economist did not always communicate his specialism in labour economics, econometrics and causal inference. Being clearer about the work behind a job title can make it easier to identify genuine alignment between an opportunity and an individual's experience. The same principle applies when firms write job descriptions: specificity about what somebody will actually do is more useful than relying on an internal title alone.
Critical thinking still matters in an AI-driven market
More capable technology does not remove the need to think carefully about the problem being solved. Ben warns against allowing AI to become a “cognitive crutch”, particularly when doing the difficult thinking is itself part of developing professional judgement.
Applying to hundreds of roles is unlikely to replace a well-directed search, just as an AI-generated job description cannot replace a clear understanding of the skills a business actually needs. As roles and technologies continue to change, the ability to define problems, communicate expertise and adapt could become increasingly valuable.
Watch the full episode to hear Ben and Jesse explore early-career hiring, AI, labour-market trends and why greater specificity could lead to better hiring decisions.
Want more?
At the Searching Smarter podcast, we speak to the brightest and boldest minds in financial sciences & services. From talent acquisition leaders and hiring managers to world-class professionals, we delve into all the ways they leverage top talent to drive their businesses forward. Listeners will walk away with expert guidance on how to attract, acquire and retain high-performing teams, as well as what it takes to be a part of one.
It's available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So listen, learn, and let us know what you think.
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FAQ
Ben points to several possible causes, including AI taking on more junior-level tasks, lower hiring activity, remote working patterns and employers becoming more cautious in an uncertain market. Together, these factors can make it harder for younger professionals to secure their first or next role.
Finance is relatively exposed to AI because many tasks traditionally completed by junior professionals can now be supported by technology. This may reduce demand for some entry-level work while also changing how firms develop the next generation of experienced talent.
Ben explains that longer time to fill can reflect several factors, including slower market movement, tighter hiring criteria and friction in the recruitment process. He also notes that time to fill should be considered alongside wage pressure, candidate supply and job-posting demand.
Broad job titles can mean very different things across organisations. Being precise about skills, specialisms and experience can help employers understand where a candidate is most relevant and improve the quality of the match.
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