We told young people that degrees were their ticket to a better life. It’s become a great betrayal | Gaby Hinsliff

Young people in line for good degrees from good Russell Group universities are working in bars, going travelling, or despondently applying to companies that use AI not only to sift their CVs, but sometimes to conduct first interviews.

Last year ’s Institute of Student Employers recruitment survey recorded a ratio of 140 applications for every graduate job.

Most of this year ’s boomerang kids will find their feet eventually, says Gaby Hinsliff .

They might take longer to get where they want, but the current economic uncertainty can't last for ever.

The ones to worry about are the kids who can’t go back home while they wait for something to turn up.

We can't keep doing this to young people and then be surprised when they're angry.