The idea of delayed retirement crushes young workers' advancement prospects seems like a no brainer (that somehow never brought up in debates on raising the retirement age of Social Security), but something else is still missing. ShareThe Labor Market ParadoxThe Narrative: By every traditional measure, this should be a golden age for young workers. In countries like Slovenia, Poland, and Spain, the share of young workers on temporary contracts exceeded 70%. Skilled young workers, unable to advance in their chosen fields, take lower-skill positions just to maintain employment. The economy has been optimized for metrics that look good in policy reports while undermining the mechanisms young workers need to build successful careers.