You graduated, moved back home, submitted dozens (maybe hundreds) of applications, and finally landed a job—that you’re probably overqualified for. Welcome to the life of a recent college grad.
According to ZipRecruiter’s recent graduate report—which surveyed 1,500 college grads from 2025 and 1,500 rising graduates—the current job market is changing how a new wave of young adults is studying, working, and living.
And despite obstacles, they remain hopeful about reaching their professional goals in the near future.
New grads face intense competition today than in past years, as entry-level opportunities shrink and artificial intelligence reshapes the job market. More job seekers are competing for the few early-career gigs that are available. Young professionals are putting in more effort and submitting more job applications—but they receive fewer offers and have less of a say in where they end up.
Many pin the issue to AI, with nearly half (47%) saying that AI has impacted their field, according to the report. Those in communications, media studies, or public relations dominate the share of grads who feel AI is impacting their jobs the most, followed by those in computer science, IT, and data science.
What’s even more frustrating for recent grads is that they don’t believe universities are preparing them for the changes: Only 23% of recent grads said that their school offered extensive AI training for professional use. There’s also a gender gap in that sentiment: Only 18.7% of recent female grads said they have AI training integrated into their curriculum, versus 28.6% of their male peers. Even more, nearly 14% of women—double the rate of men—say their schools focused on covering the risks of AI without covering how to use the tool professionally.
In a job market where AI fluency is expected, that gap could have some serious consequences. When they’re out of college, young women enter the workforce making 80 cents for every dollar that men make, the survey found.
