Degree in hand, jobs out of reach: Why recent grads are struggling in a competitive market

CNN

Nayeli Jaramillo-Plata

January 26, 2025

Madia Bellebuono, a University of Vermont graduate, spends her days in a Boston coffee shop scrolling through job openings on LinkedIn.

Since earning her degree in strategic marketing and public communications in May 2024, she has applied for more than 300 jobs. Despite two internships, a strong GPA and looming student loans, she is unemployed.

Bellebuono said she felt unprepared to enter the competitive job market.

“I think the school could have done — and still can do — a better job preparing their students for the post-grad world,” she told CNN. “And not just focusing on the test that’s coming up next week or your grades.”

The University of Vermont told CNN helping their students get started on their career paths is an important part of their educational experience.

Bellebuono’s story isn’t unique. A recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported the widest unemployment gap between new graduates and experienced degree holders since the 1990s.

The struggle to find work

The unemployment gap is partly due to the increase in competition and changing employer expectations, said David Deming, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

“What you’re seeing is a consequence of the success we’ve had in educating more people,” Deming told CNN. “Graduating college no longer gives you a leg up, as recent cohorts have seen the highest graduation rates ever.”

Skill requirements for entry-level roles are higher today than a decade ago, he said. But the change has been gradual from year to year.

The US economy added an average of 186,000 jobs per month throughout 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s similar to the pre-pandemic era but a slowdown from the blowout gains during the recovery.

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