Dismal 2025 Graduate Job Market: Scrambling Amid Trump Tariff Chaos, AI Layoffs & Entry-Level Crisis | Unemployment Solutions
Dismal job market leaves new college graduates scrambling in age of Trump tariffs and AI Key Takeaways Recent college grads face 5.8% unemployment, the highest rate since 2013, with Black and AAPI graduates hit hardest at 8.0% and 8.7% AI automation is replacing traditional entry-level tasks, causing tech hiring of recent graduates to fall 25% last year and down 50% from pre-pandemic levels Trump-era tariffs still impact manufacturing hiring, with companies delaying expansion plans due to ongoing cost uncertainties Graduates need concrete AI skills (like prompt engineering) instead of generic degrees to compete in today's market Networking beats online applications, 70% of jobs come through personal connections (based on 15 years career counseling experience) The Cold Numbers: 2024 Graduate Unemployment Isn’t Getting Better Let's cut through the noise. The unemployment rate for recent college graduates jumped from 4.6% to 5.8% between March 2024 and March 2025, the highest read...