STRUGGLE IN THE JOB MARKET FOR THE CLASS OF 2025
Uncertainty Awaits the Graduating Class of 2025 as They Step into a Difficult Labor Market
The job market for the Class of 2025 is experiencing a few bumps, making the hunt for a job tougher and longer than expected. Graduates are diving headfirst into a cooling job market that's bracing itself against President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Even though the market is still generating jobs, the journey for grads is proving to be a rollercoaster ride. Moreover, students in fields affected by tariffs, like mechanical engineering, are facing a steeper climb when it comes to landing their first job post-graduation.
Juan Rodriguez, a Texas State University graduate, has been on a five-month quest to secure a job before completing his senior year. His anxiety about finding the perfect position is skyrocketing as he walks the stage for his graduation. Rodriguez is just one of the more than 2 million American students estimated to graduate with a bachelor's degree this semester, stepping into a job market shrouded in uncertainty. Job hiring slowed from March to April, and economists predict it will slow even further in the following months. Business leaders have cited the uncertainty surrounding tariffs as the reason behind their hesitation to invest and hire new employees.
Rodriguez reports that job listings have become scarcer since he started his job search, just before the tariffs were announced. The current job market does not seem inviting to recent grads, as they find themselves wading through treacherous waters.
A BRIEF GLIMPSE INTO THE JOB MARKET TO COME
Initially, employers were optimistic about hiring the Class of 2025, expecting to increase their hiring by 7.3% compared to the previous year. However, this sentiment has taken a sharp turn, dipping down to a mere 0.6% by the spring of 2025, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Sam DeMase, ZipRecruiter's career expert, sheds light on the situation, "Given the labor market is gradually cooling, and there's a cloud of economic uncertainty looming in the background, this graduating class has high expectations of finding employment swiftly. However, the job hunt is indeed slow-going."
The situation is particularly tricky for Rodriguez and students like him, who earned their degrees in manufacturing engineering.
American manufacturers are bracing themselves for the impact of tariffs on the countries they source their parts and supplies from. The high tariffs imposed on Chinese products such as electronics and mechanical appliances will likely snarl supply chains and send costs soaring for manufacturers. Consequently, some companies have implemented hiring freezes or slowed their recruitment efforts in industries heavily reliant on global trade and manufacturing inputs.
Despite the tariffs causing a hiring slowdown for many businesses, the outlook for the Class of 2025 is slightly better than it was for the Class of 2024.
"The market is still steadily adding jobs," DeMase explains, "but the overarching outlook isn't as rosy as it once was."
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- The job market for the Class of 2025 is predicted to see a significant decrease in hiring compared to the previous year, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
- For students like Juan Rodriguez, who have degrees in fields affected by tariffs, such as manufacturing engineering, the job market is especially challenging due to the associated hiring freezes and recruitment slowdowns in industries heavily reliant on global trade and manufacturing inputs.
- Even though the overall job market is still adding jobs, it is still a tough time for all recent graduates, with these students facing a slow-going job hunt amidst a cooling labor market and economic uncertainty caused by tariffs. Additionally, the outlook for the Class of 2025, while better than it was for the previous class, is not as promising as it once was, as employers and businesses adapt to the new economic landscape.
