This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Ian Ferdock. Find him on Instagram at @ianferdock. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Leading economists and financial gurus have been sounding the alarm bell. It appears the US economy may be headed for a recession. Many Americans are still struggling mightily in the wake of significant inflation associated with the economic woes of the pandemic, consistently high interest rates, and a decidedly difficult job market. Furthermore, those problems are magnified for young adults trying to gain a firm financial foothold and build a life for themselves. No one looks forward to the negative consequences associated with a recession. Still, in true Zillennial fashion, a lot of us are coping with the negative headlines with the support of our dark sense of humor and the use of recession indicator memes. While they may be a good way to keep your spirits up through the chaos, what does a recession mean for Zillennials?
What Is A Recession?
If you don’t know exactly what a recession entails, or you just need a refresher, it’s helpful to examine what parameters define a recession and what changes it can bring to the economy.
A recession is a significant decline in economic activity that lasts for an extended period. Typically, the traditional litmus test is two consecutive quarters of falling gross domestic product (GDP). When a recession occurs, business profits decline, unemployment rises, consumers spend less, and economic confidence is greatly reduced. The main point is that a recession isn’t just a momentary economic downturn, it’s an extended decline.
Recessions can be triggered by various factors. This can include high inflation, rising interest rates, supply chain disruptions, or global catastrophes like wars or pandemics. Also, you know unnecessary trade wars. For the most part, everybody loses in a recession. However, certain sectors of the economy can be hit harder than others. When an entire industry begins to fail the government usually steps in to prevent that from happening. If every day people lose their houses or can’t afford food, however, you’re usually on your own.
Government responses to recessions typically include measures such as interest rate cuts or increased economic stimulus to try and spur growth and minimize the damage. For Zillennials, this can be a double-edged sword. Many of these measures insulate those who already possess a decent amount of wealth, while those who were struggling before the recession often get left behind. With that in mind, it’s worthwhile examining the two areas that could have the most impact on Zillennials.
Unemployment
Even if we aren’t technically in a recession at this precise moment, it already feels like it for young adults. As the older end of the Zillennial cohort entered the job market during the pandemic, they struggled to find their footing. Now, five years later, the stagnancy of the labor market is still quite unforgiving.
According to Bloomberg, since April 2023, the unemployment rate has risen for those between the ages of 20 to 24 by 2.8%. It may seem like a small number but compared to those 25 and above it’s a much higher increase as unemployment only rose 0.4% for that demographic since 2023.
The increase in unemployment alone among young adults is traditionally one of the hallmark signs of a recession, but the overall resilience of our GDP in 2025 and persistent inflation have prevented the Federal Reserve from lowering interest rates to prop up the labor market. Couple that with the permeation and rapid growth of AI and it doesn’t look too good for us at the moment.
If the economy continues to worsen, there will likely be a whole lot more pain before anything gets better. As more people get laid off resulting from business leaders focusing on cost reductions, recent graduates will have an even more difficult time competing against well-qualified and experienced candidates.
Housing
One sliver of silver lining may be that a full-blown recession could lessen the ever-increasing housing burden many Zillennials are facing. As the economy continues to falter, that could potentially slow down the housing market. That could lead to a reduction in prices and lower the biggest barrier Zillennials are facing when it comes to homeownership, which is the cost. At the same time, if things slow down too much, rate cuts will likely be in play.
The idea behind rate cuts, for example, is to incentivize large purchases. That’s great if you have been sitting on the sidelines of the housing market waiting for rates to come down. But, if you are like most young adults and aren’t sitting on a generous pile of cash, it doesn’t really help you much. Plus, as rates come down prices will usually jump from increased demand and lessening supply. Those with more wealth from the get-go are more likely to benefit from government-led economic interventions.
Millennials Have Been Here Before
Gen Z has a lot to complain about, but they aren’t the only generation to face similar struggles. Poor Millennials. They have gotten a rough deal. But luckily for those of us that have come thereafter, we get to learn from their experiences. Millennials came of age during the Great Recession in 2008, so they’ve been through this kind of turmoil before.
As CNN reports, Millennials have turned to TikTok and other platforms to share some tips and tricks on how to get by, as well as sharing some funny anecdotes and recession indicator memes to lessen the emotional burden.
What separates Millennial experiences from those of Gen Z, is the role social media plays in the way we present ourselves. During the Great Recession, nearly two decades ago, social media was nowhere near as big of an influence in people’s daily lives. Consequently, there wasn’t the same pressure to present a façade of financial success.
Millennials were able to combat unforgiving economic conditions because of their ability to live below their means without fear of presenting themselves as lagging behind their peers. Today, Gen Z is grappling with a ton of pressure to live up to the lavish lifestyles they see online.
Young adults would do well not to give in to these pressures and accept that things are just going to be difficult right now. As unsatisfying as that reality is, there is little we can do to change it. The best path forward is to set achievable financial goals for yourself and work hard to make as much progress as possible without being unrealistic. In the meantime, why not enjoy some recession indicator memes to shake off the negativity and perhaps get some useful advice along the way?
Recession Indicator Memes
Speaking of recession indicator memes, it seems appropriate to share some of the best content to help young adults navigate the chaos while having a laugh. Because who doesn’t love some dark comedy?
Honestly, I feel like this one speaks for itself as I couldn’t possibly come up with a selection of words that better describes our general mental state at the moment.
I felt this one with my soul as I have also seen scammers pop up on my phone.
I don’t know what says 2008 more than Converse being front and center in a mall store window.
Feeling a bit attacked as I currently have cans of Coke with various names on them in my fridge.
Jokes on them because I always put off buying new underwear. Plus, I have cats so I’m always swimming in cardboard boxes.
The Big Takeaway
It’s vital to remember that even though the future looks bleak, recessions don’t last forever. The housing market always changes, as does the job market. Yes, things are hard right now but it doesn’t mean it will always be this cumbersome.
Zillennials got a bad deal, just like Millennials, but there are some things we can control. It’s more important than ever to save, budget, and live within your means. Don’t fall into the social media trap and aspire to be somewhere that just isn’t in the cards for you right now. It sucks having to make financial sacrifices but sometimes it’s necessary.
It’s crucial to put yourself in the best position, even when circumstances aren’t ideal. One way or another, we all will get through this. Even if it is with the help of recession indicator memes.
Have you seen any recession indicator memes? Which ones are your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
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