Young US college graduates face employment crisis

REBECCA Atkins, a 25-yearold law and justice graduate, faced significant challenges in her job search, submitting over 250 applications over two years without success.
The unemployment rate for recent college graduates in the US has reached 5.8 per cent, the highest since November 2013, excluding the pandemic period.
This rate remains higher than the overall unemployment rate, which has stabilized between 3.5 per cent and 4 per cent post-pandemic. The labor market for new graduates has weakened since 2022, with hiring down 16 per cent year-over-year, particularly in sectors like technology and finance.
Analysts attribute this trend to cyclical post-pandemic hiring slowdowns and economic uncertainty, exacerbated by policy changes during the Trump administration. Many entry-level jobs now require several years of experience, leaving graduates like Atkins feeling inadequate. Job openings in professional services have declined by over 40 per cent since 2021, with the tech sector particularly affected. Additionally, the rising influence of artificial intelligence may threaten entry-level positions. — AFP

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