When my father was a child in upstate New York, he contracted polio. So did three of his younger siblings. It was devastating to the family. It was also, in a way none of them could have anticipated, a door that opened onto something extraordinary.
The White children became part of Jonas Salk’s research, a small but real contribution to the science that would eventually defeat the dreaded disease. That experience lit something in my father that never went out, motivating him to become an epidemiologist. He played a role in the global eradication of smallpox, an improbable collaboration that, at the height of the Cold War, required the United States and the Soviet Union to work together toward a common human goal. My parents moved us to West Africa, so that my dad could do his small part. He believed, with everything he had, that no problem was too large to solve.
What he also believed, and what I watched him practice throughout his life, is that while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not. Someone must open that door.
That conviction is the foundation of the Fellowship that bears his name. As I write this on International Youth Day, I find myself thinking about how urgently we need that conviction now. For millions of young people, talent is not the problem. Access to opportunity is. College graduates are entering one of the most hostile entry-level job markets in recent memory. AI is eliminating some of the roles that once served as professional footholds.
THE TALENT GAP
Companies are over-hiring for senior positions while under-investing in junior talent. Economic uncertainty has frozen hiring practices. Globally, around 262 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are neither working, studying, nor in training.
It is a labor market mismatch jeopardizing future talent pipelines at the very moment companies need them most. The consequences are economic and carry a psychological cost for a generation carrying the unhealed wounds of pandemic-era isolation, prolonged unemployment, and repeated rejection. An employment crisis can quickly become a crisis of confidence, health, and belonging. Leaders who understand that connection are better equipped to respond to it.
Finding a job is no longer enough. The generation entering today’s workforce is asking different questions about what work is for and what employers owe the people who do it.
Deloitte’s 2026 Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, drawing on more than 22,000 respondents from 44 countries, found that purpose is non-negotiable: almost all Gen Z respondents say meaningful impact is critical to their job satisfaction, with many willing to turn down roles that don’t align with their values. On average, Gen Z tends to stay in an early-career position for only 1.1 years, the shortest of any generation on record. They leave when growth stalls, when stated values don’t match actual culture, and when the work feels extractive rather than meaningful.
Companies that fail to invest meaningfully in young talent are making recruitment harder and are weakening the pipeline of people they will depend on to lead, innovate, and grow.
This is where I think business leaders need to shift their mindset to how they can create the conditions in which that talent can emerge, contribute, and thrive.
OPPORTUNITY BY DESIGN
At Pyxera Global, we have tried to turn that responsibility into action, beginning at home and extending well beyond it through our William J. White Fellowship. The fellowship recruits young people from HBCUs, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions and gives them a genuine foothold in the social impact sector.
It is designed to address the structural barriers of entry to this field: arbitrary gatekeeping that keeps many important voices out of decision-making and has insulated many organizations from the lived experiences of the communities they serve.
Beyond our own walls, the communities and countries where young people’s futures are being shaped depend on whether capable organizations are strong enough to serve them. This is where expertise becomes one of the most valuable currencies a company can offer, and it is why we partner with nearly 100 youth-focused organizations and multiple corporate partners in numerous countries. Through these partnerships and opportunities, we are helping young people gain vocational training and access to psychosocial support that prepares them for careers and builds a sustainable talent pipeline.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think every business leader should be considering whether (and how) they areinvesting in the next generation rather than simply scouting for talent.
Start by examining who your hiring practices are excluding, and why. Then, lend your organization’s expertise to institutions building pathways for young people who cannot wait for the market to correct. Most importantly, create the conditions where young talent can find meaning, grow, and stay.
My father moved his family across the world because he believed his small part mattered. The challenges facing this generation are different, but the principle is the same. No one organization alone will solve the most pressing challenges of our time. But every organization can decide what part is theirs to play.
Deirdre White is the CEO of Pyxera Global.