The workplace has presented unexpected challenges for everyone, but Gen X’s career crisis takes the cake as the most monumental struggle of them all. Generation X, typically those born between 1965 and 1980, were supposed to be at the peak of their careers over these last few years, but from economic instability to workplace ageism, Gen X has lived through one battle after another.
A growing chorus of voices, from The New York Times to Forbes, have had a lot to say about Gen X job market challenges, and how they are faring trying to compete with younger workers. Far from thriving, many are fighting to stay relevant and be heard as they are crowded out by fresh talent and the undauntable shadows of AI and automation. Will Gen X’s work-life challenges ever be resolved?
The Gen X career crisis will not remain restricted to the generation—future workers will see similar struggles in their own time. (Image: Pexels)
Understanding the Gen X Career Crisis—The Promise of Peak Years Stolen Too Soon
Gen X, the true stalwarts of hustle culture and models of the grit required to build flourishing careers, have slowly found themselves sidelined by a rapidly changing landscape. In 2025, these hard workers should have been at the peak of their careers, holding senior positions, acting out leadership roles, being acknowledged as experts in their industries, and reaping the rewards of decades of hard work.
Instead, many find themselves scrambling to keep up. Despite their conviction that hard work would pay off, many have seen the stability evaporate in front of their eyes, with no sufficient savings to keep them afloat.
Gen X Hindered by Workplace Ageism
In the past, older workers were often seen as experts in their fields, with sufficient wisdom to guide those who have just stepped up to the challenge. In more recent times, Gen X have been the victims of discrimination at work, overlooked for promotions in favor of younger talent who can “keep up” with the trends.
Many are equated to Baby Boomers and written off by default. There is also the issue of Baby Boomers who are choosing not to retire, holding off the next generation from ascending to their positions within organizations.
Despite pioneering the digital revolution, Gen X workers are often seen as tech-averse or highly resistant to change, even if they haven’t displayed those traits themselves. Many who seek out new opportunities are often told they are too overqualified or unfit for the culture of a young and thriving organization, leaving them with no prospects nor any career progression to look forward to. The bias against Gen X is one of the biggest risks to job security for them in 2025.
Competition Grows With a Challenging Job Market
Workplace ageism aside, Gen X is also forced to compete with young workers for roles they are genuinely overqualified for. With no room to ascend to more senior roles as employers don’t want to pay for their experience, Gen X workers are forced to apply for middle manager-level positions and compete with younger workers who bring more energy and a more modern perspective to their work.
Upskilling is something that is often recommended to those who have peaked in their career streams and have nowhere higher to go, but at their age, and with the responsibility of both aging parents and unemployed children falling to their shoulders, this becomes much harder to accomplish.
Gen X’s career crisis has been fueled by the layoffs that often target them due to their higher pay or their perceived obsolescence in the modern world, and employers are rarely willing to hire from among their ranks and give them somewhere to put their skills to use. Pair these Gen X job market challenges with the arrival of AI, and the workers are further sidelined for tech alternatives instead.
Add Some Economic Pressure and Retirement Anxiety to the Mix
A 2024 survey found that beyond the career crisis, many Gen X workers believe they will never retire comfortably. With considerable confusion around the best way to save for retirement and no support from employers on how these workers have been left to fend for themselves. The population has lived through multiple economic crises that have kept them from saving properly. Many entered the workforce during recessions, faced stagnant wages, and now confront a retirement savings gap.
They also make up the “sandwich generation,” the group that’s caring for aging parents and children who need college educations and are struggling with employment issues of their own. The current economic climate has kicked up further concerns around work, and for many, the concept of an easy retirement remains foreign.
Gen X Address Career Crisis with Creative Reinvention
The generation has always been a resilient one, and despite workplace ageism and the other problems faced at work, Gen X is making space for itself in creative industries. More and more of these workers are exploring alternate sources of employment, starting businesses, and turning passion projects into a source of income.
There are challenges to this as well. A Gen X videographer may be able to shoot and turn a simple wedding into a dreamy shindig, but if all clients want are peppy, short-form videos customized to the latest TikTok or Instagram trend, then their years of expertise are put to waste. Another might be able to sew and crochet beautiful pieces of clothing but if the demand remains high for Shein-quality polyester pieces, there’s little they can do to promote themselves among such an audience.
There is a market for the skills Gen X possesses, but it is admittedly small and hard to locate. Gen X and their career crisis is a matter rarely discussed, but their uphill battle is one that most successive generations will face as technology and the economic situation continue to contort industries into unpredictable shapes. As Gen X continues to stay on their toes and navigate this unpaved terrain, their grit and creativity offer hope to us all.
Have any thoughts about Gen X’s job security and their workplace struggles in 2025? Let us know. For more explorations of how the world of work is evolving, subscribe to The HR Digest so you can prepare for the changes that are to come.