Why Is It So Hard For Recent College Graduates To Find A Decent Job? (2024)

FAQs

Why Is It So Hard For Recent College Graduates To Find A Decent Job? ›

The job market is extremely competitive, as more and more Americans attain college degrees. Furthermore, employers are requiring unrealistic professional experience for entry-level positions, making it difficult for recent graduates to compete in the job market.

If you are a new grad struggling to find a job- you are certainly not alone. I work with several young adults that are finding it challenging to find a job after graduation. This transition is fraught with anxiety, and rejections can be a hit to your self-esteem.

Many college graduates can't find a job because they really don't know what employers want. Many college graduates focus more on selling their college majors rather than promoting work habits like initiative, flexibility and strong communication skills.

It takes about three to six months for the average college graduate to find a job after college. As of September 2023, the unemployment rate for bachelor's degree holders was 2.2% compared to 4% for those only holding a high school diploma.

Some experts say that companies and workers are having a hard time meeting each others' needs right now. But Goldstein pinpoints three specific factors fueling the job search drag. For one, there's still spillover from the layoffs we've seen this year and last at companies who overhired during the pandemic.

The job market is extremely competitive, as more and more Americans attain college degrees. Furthermore, employers are requiring unrealistic professional experience for entry-level positions, making it difficult for recent graduates to compete in the job market.

Key Takeaways. College graduates are half as likely to be unemployed as their peers who only have a high school degree. Typical earnings for bachelor's degree holders are $40,500 or 86 percent higher than those whose highest degree is a high school diploma.

So far, in 2024, the job market has been getting tougher. Layoffs are up, wage growth is slowing down, and unemployment has ticked up to 3.9%.

Poor fit and lack of demonstrated interest are among the common reasons college applications are rejected. Given the volume of college applications each year, admissions officers have tough decisions to make when it comes to filling limited seats.

There's more competition

If candidates don't have relevant qualifications and experience, they could find it challenging to secure a role. As increasing numbers of people go to university and go on to earn master's degrees, you may find it challenging to enter some workforces with fewer qualifications.

Why are Gen Z not getting hired? ›

Nearly 80 percent of hiring managers said they worried about Gen Z's lack of experience as a younger generation. The survey also found 58 percent were worried about the generation's unprofessional attitude, and 63 percent expressed concern that they were known to job hop.

Even though the US unemployment rate is near the lowest level in decades and overall layoffs remain modest, employers are, on average, taking longer to hire, and some are posting fewer jobs than not long ago. That's making some job hunts harder.

More than half of recent four-year college graduates, 52 percent, are underemployed a year after they graduate, according to a new report from Strada Institute for the Future of Work and the Burning Glass Institute. A decade after graduation, 45 percent of them still don't hold a job that requires a four-year degree.

Your application needs work. You didn't research the company. Your expectations are high. You have too much experience.

Here are three reasons you might be struggling: You haven't picked a career path that might fit you best. You need more training or experience to get the job you want. You need to narrow down a direction.

One explanation for declining labor participation rates is that the share of work-eligible people over the age of 65 has been growing — people over 65 are the most likely not to participate in the labor force due to their higher retirement rates.

It's common to have difficulty finding a job in your field (or sometimes any job) after graduating. So if you have no job after college, whether you just graduated or have been searching for 1-2 years, don't feel bad. You're NOT alone.

As a rule of thumb, a graduate should secure work within 6 months of graduation. Unfortunately, in today's job market, it is not uncommon to wait 12-18 months or even longer. It is important to note that the duration of unemployment after graduation can have an impact on one's career prospects.

Response: Four years after earning their 2015–16 bachelor's degrees, 74 percent of graduates worked full time, and 7 percent worked part time. Fourteen percent of graduates were out of the labor force, and 4 percent were unemployed.

Post-grad blues also make people lack motivation because they feel unorganized and confused about what they should do next. This depression can have varying lengths. For some, it lasts half a year, or until they satisfy their needs themselves. For others, it can last a lot longer if nothing is done to combat it.