Young college graduates face a tougher road to employment than their predecessors. The unemployment rate for those aged 22 to 27 climbed to 5.6% in March 2026. It stood at 3.6% in March 2019. Older college-educated workers saw their rate dip slightly over a comparable period. Many pointed to artificial intelligence as the culprit. New research says otherwise. Remote arrangements explain far more of the damage. Employers hesitate to bring untested talent onto distributed teams. Training suffers when mentors and juniors cannot interact face to face. New data quantifies the cost. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York laid out the numbers in a detailed analysis published June 1. Economists Natalia Emanuel, Emma Harrington and Amanda Pallais examined Current Population Survey data alongside firm-level records. They concluded remote work accounts for 64% of the rise in unemployment among young college graduates between 2017-19 and 2022-24. ( Liberty Street Economics ) The surge in remote work was dramatic.…