😳💼 This job market is a jump scare

💪 Want two weeks of unlimited pilates? We’re teaming up with Barre & Soul to give one lucky B-Side Member two weeks of unlimited mat and reformer classes. Open to Mass. residents 18+. Start a 30-day free trial to enter. We’ll drop the giveaway link in tomorrow’s newsletter!

🍦 Pssst! We found the sweetest deal in town. Gerly’s is running a two-for-one deal for their next class ice cream-making workshop on April 18. You’re welcome. <3

🥳 Lastly, let’s give a big Member HBD to Cailyn! You know what goes well with cake? Homemade ice cream. :)

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Just graduated college? Thoughts and prayers. Recent grads are facing the grimmest job market since the depths of the pandemic, according to The New York Times.

Here’s what to know:

💼 The numbers don’t lie: It’s rough out there. The unemployment rate for college grads between 22- and 27-years-old hit 5.6% at the end of last year — well above the overall rate of 4.2%. Among those who were employed, over 40% were at jobs that don’t require college degrees. “The appetite for hiring is definitely decreasing,” according to Alli Goossens, the assistant director of employer engagement at North Dakota State University.

😭 Young job hunters are feeling the heat. After graduating from Barnard College with a psych degree last December, 22-year-old Erin Torres has landed only four interviews. She literally started seeing a therapist; it's been so grim. While she waits to land a full-time gig, she’s living with her parents and working at a restaurant. “If I really cannot find anything, I am just going to go haywire,” she said.

🤖 AI isn’t the culprit … yet. Plenty of folks are sounding the alarm about AI — one bigwig predicts it’ll take out half of all white collar entry-level jobs. But its impact on the job market remains relatively small, according to economists. 

📉 The real problem is a bit more nuanced. Many experts blame the struggle on a “low hire, low fire” dynamic in the job market, which is exactly what it sounds like. “And so those who need their first jobs are probably disproportionately affected,” said Adam Ozimek, chief economist at the Economic Innovation Group. Others point to shifting demographics: More older workers = less progression for entry- and mid-level employees.

😭 The good(ish) news? We’ve been here before. At least, that’s according to Oxford Economics Grace Zwemmer. Younger workers generally tend to struggle more during economic downturns since companies are less willing to hire inexperienced folks. But when the economy swings back, so do they. Following the Great Recession in 2008, the unemployment rate for people in their early- to mid-20s pushed 16% (and it was even higher during COVID). 

😬 Buuuut try telling that to someone in the trenches. 22-year-old Taleah Reyes was working full-time at a theme park when she decided to get a degree in art history. But as graduation approaches, she’s been unable to land an internship or fellowship in her field. Her fallback? Returning to the theme park. “I went to school to further my career and to have some sense of personal fulfillment,” she said. “And then I’m leaving again to enter a job I previously had.”

👀 Want to learn more? Emily sat down with Larry Edelman, author of the Globe’s Trendlines business newsletter, to break down why the job market feels so unpredictable (and what’s actually happening behind the scenes). Watch here!

🚧 Look alive on Storrow Drive. Your ride to Fenway might be a liiiittle sticky as a four-mile stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road will be closed every weeknight between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. in the eastbound direction now through August. We’ve gotta repair the inside of the Storrow Drive tunnel somehow! That said, work restrictions will be implemented to minimize impacts for things like concerts at Fenway, the FIFA World Cup, MA250 celebrations, and more. Here are the deets on the detour (it’s not too bad).

❄️ We hate to say this but … it might snow today. Nope! Not a belated April Fool’s joke! Just a fun lil’ cold front that’s set to send temps into the 20s this week with “feels like” temps in the teens. UGH! Keep an eye out for some possible flakes today — chances are technically low, but a couple might sneak in during the early morning commute. And keep those winter jackets on hand for Wednesday’s 20-degree morning. The good news? We’re back to the mid-60s by Friday. Ahhh, April. 

🚂 All aboard the World Cup train! If you’re heading to Foxborough to catch one of the seven World Cup matches this summer, LISTEN UP: The MBTA announced that roundtrip tickets between South Station and Boston Stadium (a.k.a., Gillette Stadium, lol) will be $80 and sold exclusively on the mTicket app. They’re also good for travel on the entire commuter rail network on match days. Tickets for the first five matches go on sale at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, with tickets for the round of 32 and quarterfinal matches on sale closer to the match dates. 

💐 These flowers are worth a day trip. We know we mentioned snow a few sentences ago BUT … here’s your friendly reminder that it’s daffodil season in Massachusetts and there are tons of ways to catch them in full bloom. There are daffodil days in Newport, R.I., where you can take in over 1.5 *million* blooms scattered throughout town (Boston.com suggests a trolley tour); you can hike through Parsons Reserve in Dartmouth for this daffodil field that’s giving Alice in Wonderland, and so much more. Check out the full list of daffodil sightings here.

Sharpen your mind with the Globe Games Puzzle Marathon, a special physical edition packed with 26 marathon-themed puzzles, satisfying wordplay, and all your Globe favorites in one package. Filled with crosswords, word searches, and brain teasers, this is designed to keep you entertained from Mile 1 to the finish line. And here's the best part: B-Side members get 25% off.

We all love to hate the T. But what about the T’s bathrooms?

Alejandro Viasus is documenting his journey of testing and reviewing all of the MBTA’s public bathrooms, and it’s truly the service journalism we didn’t know we needed.

Our biggest takeaway after binging his videos: These bathrooms STINK.

JFK/UMass was perhaps the worst offender. “The stench of urine hit me immediately,” he said. Advising people to “use this bathroom only if you’re on your deathbed.” And while Revere Beach landed a score of 7/10 thanks to its cleanliness, there was “indescribable odor” so rancid he ran home to block it out with the smell of VapoRub. 

We figured things might have turned around since he started filming these in 2024, but his recent review of Davis Station dashed our hopes. It has the “heaviest reek of urine [he’s] whiffed so far,” a stall that doesn’t properly lock, and toilet paper held by chain and wiring. *heaves*

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🤮 Thanks for reading! Moral of the story: Only pee at Assembly Station.  

😍 The results are in: You’re sending us to Dalia for the next B-Side Certified (also our pick, hehe). One reader said, “I need someone to try the Dr. Pepper cocktail and tell me all about it.” Ask and you shall receive!

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].