Recent college graduates in the United States are facing a difficult start to their careers, with fewer entry-level opportunities and rising competition. The underemployment rate among young graduates has climbed to 42.5 per cent, the highest since the pandemic period in 2020, reflecting growing pressure on the job market.
Many young job seekers say the hiring landscape has become more challenging due to limited openings, changing employer expectations and the increasing use of artificial intelligence in recruitment. For several graduates, the process has been long, exhausting and often discouraging, according to a report by The Guardian.
Gillian Frost, a 22-year-old student at Smith College in Massachusetts, has been searching for a job since last year. Despite applying to dozens of roles, she has seen little success.
“Every weekend, I dedicate over two hours to job applications. As of today, I’ve applied to over 90 jobs. I’ve been ghosted by nearly 25% of them and rejected automatically from around 55%,” she told The Guardian.
Even when she secured interviews, the lack of feedback added to her frustration.
“I’ve gotten around 10 interviews but many of them don’t even bother to tell you you’re not a good fit … I feel helpless. No one seems to know how best to prepare due to the unique conflux of events occurring. How do you prepare for a tight labor market coinciding with the emergence of AI and direct US involvement in war? Most generations have dealt with maybe one of these but our generation is the first to deal with all three,” she added.
For Jeff Kubat, a 31-year-old from St Cloud, the struggle continues despite experience and further education. After returning to study accounting, he has found it difficult to secure a role.
“I should be about to graduate and it’s been a struggle to job hunt … Even companies out in small-town Minnesota are being incredibly literal in who they’re looking for and it’s just a dearth of willingness to train people who have relatable backgrounds into what they need,” he said.
Others point to unrealistic expectations in job listings. A graduate from New York University said many entry-level roles demand years of experience.
“Decent-paying jobs that are listed as entry-level will often ask for candidates with three to five years of experience – an amount of time that simply cannot be achieved if one is fresh out of college,” the graduate said.
The growing role of automated hiring systems has also added pressure.
“For every job… it’s essential to tailor my resume explicitly… It’s aggravating and exhausting, but sadly a necessity in this fucked-up market,” the graduate added.
Anna Waldron, a student at Loyola University Chicago, said limited networks and internal hiring practices are further barriers.
“What I’ve found is that a lot of jobs don’t get posted… which makes it hard for entry people like me who don’t have as many connections,” she said.
Despite qualifications and internships, many graduates continue to struggle, highlighting the growing gap between education and employment opportunities.