Young Philly Workers Fear Remote Work as Study Ties 64% of Graduate Unemployment Rise to It
Updated
Updated · The Philadelphia Inquirer · Jul 13
Young Philly Workers Fear Remote Work as Study Ties 64% of Graduate Unemployment Rise to It
2 articles · Updated · The Philadelphia Inquirer · Jul 13
Summary
Young Philadelphia-area workers say remote work worries them more than AI, citing layoffs, weaker promotion prospects and isolation early in their careers.
A recent study by economists Natalia Emanuel, Emma Harrington and Amanda Pallais found 64% of the recent rise in unemployment among young college graduates was due to remote work.
The researchers also found young remote engineers got 20% less colleague feedback, produced lower-quality code and were hired less often as companies favored already-trained talent.
Loneliness is another concern: researchers say remote work makes adult socializing harder, while U.S. paid workdays at home still run at 26% versus 7% before the pandemic.
Hybrid work remains the dominant compromise, and some studies suggest even limited in-person contact helps—a Turkey-based remote firm cut attrition by a third when staff met one day a month.