US college graduates face harsh job market amid economic uncertainty

[u/Economy-Hat7077]

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/5/17/us-college-graduates-face-harsh-job-market-amid-economic-uncertainty

[u/3Dchaos777 → u/[deleted]]

Yup, feels like getting the last chopper out of Nam by getting a good career job right of college in May 2022

[u/ell-chan]

Unlucky fresh grads needs to experience this job market 😑

[u/Ambitious_Skirt_2774]

It’s rough out there for grads right now. Even “entry-level” roles seem to expect 2–5 years of experience, and hiring freezes don’t help.

Feels like the gap between education and actual job requirements is getting wider, not smaller.

[u/MadScallop → u/Ambitious_Skirt_2774]

It’s been like this for 5 years in my field. What’s particularly unfortunate now is that there are actually people with the 2-5 years experience competing for most of the roles.

[u/Fabulous_Jeweler2732 → u/MadScallop]

I have 10 years and I’m being rejected for jobs that require 5. Largely due to lack of jobs and presence of candidates

[u/arbiter_steven]

Good luck 2025 and 2026 grads. The 2022 to 2024 grads have had to deal with this for a while. I went for IT and yeah I'm trying to get a job as a machine operator instead of what I went to school for. With AI and outsourcing I am disinterested in my field, the dream of going to school and things working out is pretty dead..

[u/Salty-Plantain-4299 → u/arbiter_steven]

So many people going into CS, IT, data science, cyber security, etc. colleges are finally starting to catch on that these degrees are not the promise of middle class life that they were between 1998 and 2020.

They are some of the most impacted majors by this AI shift,not because people cannot get a job with these degrees anymore, but because the jobs that pay well are basically gone. There are so many people who majored in these fields, and because a degree takes 4 to 6 years to complete, by the time they got out, the economy had completely shifted from what it was when they started.

So there's a ton of people with these degrees out there, with great training, but not enough positions for them anymore. At least not high paying starting positions. Too much supply of grass, not enough demand.

You can still get a job that pays 50k to 60k with these degrees, but the 100K starter job is a thing of the past in most parts of the country now.

AI and all of the layoffs have really done a number on this industry. So many starter jobs got replaced.

It's basically about as lucrative as getting a degree in education these days, you won't starve, but you won't be able to raise a family on that income.

It's not a useless degree mind you, and there are still opportunities, but it went from being one of the best and most secure degree options for a middle class life, and has now fallen to the middle of the pack.

[u/JPaq84 → u/Salty-Plantain-4299]

Thing is, I have a degree in aerospace engineering ('24) and Im screwed. There is no 'safe degree' anymore.

[u/Salty-Plantain-4299 → u/JPaq84]

Nursing is about as safe as you can get these days. There's always going to be sick people and people dying.

[u/Bulky-Current-1318 → u/JPaq84]

Engineering still has job prospects in the military/defense space as those can’t be offshored.  Healthcare is the safest career. Doctors, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioner , Nurses and Dentists will be needed for  the foreseeable future

[u/Key_Discipline_232]

Imagine, people laidoff looking for job, immigrants and past years graduates all looking for a job. Good luck

[u/Babid922]

It’s everyone. Not just recent grads.

[u/Super_Translator480]

enter the age of the college graduate entrepreneur.

[u/Quadz1527]

Every single dumb ass boomer told them to go to college and take out $300,000 in student loans and now they can’t get a job

[u/Lady_Rubberbones]

It’s 2008 all over again.