According to the U.S. Labor Department, 16.3 percent of the millennial generation—essentially older teens and young adults—are unemployed. Although the economy isn’t nearly as bad as it was back in 2008 and ‘09, jobs are still frustratingly hard to find.

While 4.7 million jobs have been added in the past three years, that doesn’t negate the 8 million jobs that vanished during the Great Recession. About 58 percent of hiring managers say they have no plans to hire a recent college graduate.

To make matters worse, millennials are spending a great deal of time and money for degrees that don’t seem to be helping much. According to Bloomberg, college costs have increased by 538 percent in the past 28 years, and millennials are now carrying an average of $26,600 in student-loan debt. (Huffington Post)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.