Among many of my students who have graduated recently, as well as children of our family friends, there is sense of frustration and gloom. Recent graduates are struggling to find jobs – any jobs – broadly related to their field of study. A recent graduate in computer science from a very rigorous programme told me that he had applied to well over 250 jobs and had not gotten a single interview. News magazines are reporting students coming out of nationally recognised programmes in science and engineering applying for well over 400 jobs without any success. Degrees and majors that were considered safe and reliable to land decent entry level jobs just five years ago are facing monumental challenges. In the US, the unemployment rate for 22-27 year olds with a college degree is higher than the national average. The trend of unemployment among STEM majors is particularly noteworthy.

While there is debate among economists about the exact cause, there is evidence that........

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