A City exec says Gen Z is nearing breaking point as AI turns graduate hiring into a 'meat grinder'

"Recruiters, swamped with tens of thousands of applications, are relying on AI-powered screening tools to filter candidates long before a human gets involved. Applicants, meanwhile, are using the same technology to generate flawless cover letters and CVs in seconds, he added. "It takes a click to apply to everything with zero friction costs," Nason wrote. "The result is 5,000 candidates for five jobs being the norm.""

"He said he sees it firsthand through City Pay it Forward, an organization that helps high school and university students in the UK break into finance. 'Many tell me they've applied for 150 or more roles and still have nothing to show for it,' Nason wrote in a LinkedIn post that's struck a nerve among City of London professionals and students alike. The process, he says, has turned into a 'meat grinder.'"

The post-pandemic job market promised returns for hard work and higher education but has become a digital competition with extreme application volumes. Graduate recruitment now sees candidates apply en masse with minimal effort, while employers rely on AI screening to filter tens of thousands of applications before any human review. Candidates also use AI to produce polished CVs and cover letters, further inflating volumes. The resulting automation creates severe candidate-to-job ratios, leaves many qualified graduates without offers, and imposes significant emotional strain on young applicants, raising risks of wider social frustration.

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