'Too Young To Retire But Too Old To Start Over'—Gen X Could Be The First Generation That Forces Universal Basic Income Into Reality

Gen X may be about to make history, but not in the way they hoped. Caught between rising job losses, disappearing social safety nets and growing automation, many in this generation are facing a terrifying possibility: being pushed out of the workforce with no apparent way back in.

A Generation On The Edge

Sociologists Annette Nierobisz and Dana Sawchuk interviewed dozens of baby boomers who lost white-collar jobs during the 2008 recession. Many were, in their words, "too young to retire but too old to start all over." The same now applies to Gen X, who may be even worse off, as they argue in a recent The Hill op-ed. In it, they warn that Gen Xers face heightened financial risk due to diminished job security, draining retirement accounts, and limited social support compared to earlier generations.

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The authors found that some older workers managed "soft landings," thanks to pensions, generous severance packages, or support from family. But those benefits are rare today. Gen X entered the workforce as stable, long-term jobs were being replaced with temp work, contract gigs and 401(k)s instead of pensions.

Nierobisz and Sawchuk argue that retraining alone won't be enough. Older workers already face age discrimination. And when jobs vanish faster than new ones are created, reskilling becomes a losing game.

"It's impossible to prepare for a bout of unemployment extended indefinitely by age discrimination in the hiring process," they wrote.

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Will UBI Become A Necessity?

The authors argue that Gen X may be the tipping point for considering universal basic income as a structural solution to long-term job loss. Based on their interviews and broader research, they say the financial realities facing Gen X make it far more vulnerable to lasting harm after a layoff.

That leaves UBI as a serious option, not as a futuristic experiment, but as a necessary support for people who fall through the cracks. The idea is gaining traction in some U.S. cities, and international experiments have shown improvements in well-being and employment stability.

The key argument is that if AI is going to replace work, then income has to be separated from employment. For Gen Xers aging out of the job market without a pension, safety net or viable second act, UBI could be the only thing standing between stability and financial collapse.

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Many notable tech figures, like the Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, argue that some kind of basic income for the populace will be a necessity. At last year’s Viva Technology Conference in Paris, Musk said there's an “80% chance” that AI will advance to a point where "probably none of us will have a job." He added, "There will be universal high income… humans will not need to work and will have all they need."

Not everyone agrees. David Sacks, a prominent venture capitalist and President Donald Trump‘s current AI czar, recently dismissed UBI as a leftist fantasy. He argued that putting everyone on welfare just isn’t realistic, signaling a sharp contrast to Silicon Valley peers like Musk.

For Sawchuk and Nierobisz, the goal should be to avoid turning layoffs into "hard falls" that damage both households and the broader economy. Whether lawmakers agree is still uncertain, but Gen X may be the generation that forces the conversation.

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