College Graduate Job Market at Its Worst in Years; Staffing and Career Experts Offer Survival Tips for Navigating AI

CHICAGO (WLS) — Graduation season is over. And while college graduates have their diploma in hand – most have no job.

A May report from Oxford Economics found college grads are entering one of the most challenging job markets in over a decade – with a 6% unemployment rate.

Economists say people are not quitting their jobs and businesses are just not hiring.

Jean Riordan is the Executive Director of Career Services at UIC. Tom Gimbel is the founder and former CEO of the Chicago-based Lasalle Network.

Gimbel who is now the Vice Chairman of the American Staffing Association points out that while unemployment is high among college graduates, the econoomy, stock market and overall unemployment rate is low.

“I think the biggest reason is instability,” said Gimbel. “CEOs that I talk to every week are saying we don’t know if we’re going to have more business next year and that’s due to the things that are going on politically in Washington D.C. and with the tariffs.” Are we going to be able to afford to hire people, are we not and so they’re not investing right now.”

The report shows that among the most affected are STEM and tech grads, majors that have historically been safe bets.

“I think we’ve potentially flooded the market with computer science grads,” explained Riordon. But Riordon points out that government jobs are also also among the affected fields.

Some experts argue artificial intelligence is to blame.

Entry level people are expected to know how to use AI,” said Gimbel. . “So the entry level job isn’t going it’s just rising in what you’re supposed to be expected to do in an entry level job. The mundane tasks are gone with AI, and you’re going to have to come out with a quicker ability to do your job.”

The National Association of Colleges and Employers, or NACE, comes out with a list of skills of career readiness

Riordon points out that they go beyond AI.

“They include communication skills, written skills, interpersonal skills, the ability to problem solve,” said Riordon. “That list has not changed in almost 30 years.”

Part Two

So is there light on the horizon?

“We’re going to be to be in bumpy territory for the foreseeable future,” said Gimbel.

But the biggest takeaway is building interview and people skills.

“You can be an IT person, a coder, and you can have AI code for you, but you can’t have them do a conversation like this,” said Gimbel. “It’s almost back to the future.

That’s why it’s important to focus on opportunity, according to Gimbel.

“For kids that are starting out. my advice is figure out a company you want to work with, or an industry you care about and take any job. Wer’e going to go back in time,” he said. “Work your way up. And if you’re really good, and you’re really hardworking, they’re going to notice you and you’re going to make more money.”

Riordon’s advises grads to ask for help, especially from offices like hers.

“Reboot, take some stock, think about what do you want, who do you need to talk to, what kind of connections do you need to make,” said Riordon. “Nothing will ever replace someone referring a good person to a great opportunity.”