The Reading / Listening - Career Apocalypse - Level 0

It is difficult for Gen Zers to find a job. A Gen Zer is born between the mid 1990s and early 2010s. A journalist warned of a "career apocalypse". She said Gen Zers must "prepare for the worst". A British journalist said people are studying for "worthless degrees". He said young people would "be much better off" as electricians.

There are over 4 million Gen Zers not in work in the USA. Many people cannot find jobs because of AI, which is replacing many jobs. Teachers, accountants, writers, etc. could disappear. Some people say graduates want to join a company at a management level. They want good money in their very first job.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Career Apocalypse - Level 1 Career Apocalypse - Level 2   or  Career Apocalypse - Level 3

Sources
  • https://fortune.com/2025/03/25/gen-z-neet-not-in-education-employment-training-higher-ed-worthless-degrees-college/
  • https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/peter-hitchens-hammers-worthless-gen-z-degrees-in-new-podcast/ar-AA1BkYkw
  • https://www.yahoo.com/news/corporate-america-failing-gen-z-110037849.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. It is hard
  2. university
  3. looking for
  4. It is becoming
  5. find a
  6. uncertainty in
  7. graduates must prepare
  8. young people would be much
  1. the world
  2. work
  3. graduates
  4. for the worst
  5. difficult
  6. better off
  7. for young people
  8. job

Paragraph 2

  1. 4 million Gen Zers not
  2. Many people cannot
  3. an increasing
  4. other jobs could
  5. graduates do not want to do
  6. enter a company at
  7. They want to be well
  8. their very
  1. a management level
  2. disappear
  3. first job
  4. number of jobs
  5. paid
  6. "entry-level" jobs
  7. find jobs
  8. in school or work

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

It (1) _______________________________________________ Gen Zers to find a job. A Gen Zer is born between the mid 1990s (2) ________________________________________________. A journalist warned of (3) ________________________________________________. She said Gen Zers must "prepare (4) ________________________________________________". A British journalist said people are studying (5) _______________________________________________. He said young people would "be (6) ________________________________________________" as electricians.

(7) ________________________________________________ 4 million Gen Zers not (8) ________________________________________________ the USA. Many people cannot find (9) ________________________________________________ AI, which is replacing many jobs. Teachers, accountants, writers, (10) ________________________________________________. Some people say graduates (11) ________________________________________________ a company at a management level. They want good money in their (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ItisdifficultforGenZerstofindajob.AGenZerisbornbetweenthemid19
90sandearly2010s.Ajournalistwarnedofa"careerapocalypse".Shesa
idGenZersmust"preparefortheworst".ABritishjournalistsaidpeoplea
restudyingfor"worthlessdegrees".Hesaidyoungpeoplewould"bemuc
hbetteroff"aselectricians.Thereareover4millionGenZersnotinworkin
theUSA.ManypeoplecannotfindjobsbecauseofAI,whichisreplacingm
anyjobs.Teachers,accountants,writers,etc.coulddisappear.Somepe
oplesaygraduateswanttojoinacompanyatamanagementlevel.They
wantgoodmoneyintheirveryfirstjob.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You