‘If I was 18 now, there is no way I would go to university only to leave with huge debts and poor job prospects,’ says analyst. He’d be an electrician

As artificial intelligence (AI) threatens the white-collar job market and the cost of living continues to skyrocket, and while doomsday essays about white-collar job loss go viral—including those by Citrini Research and by Matt Shumer—a top global strategist has a stark warning for today’s youth: skip university and learn a trade.

Albert Edwards, a veteran macroeconomic analyst known for his contrarian views and his self-described “perma-bearish” outlook, is sounding the alarm on an...