Economists and career coaches agree: Recent college graduates should expect to work harder and longer to land their first job out of college.

The total number of new jobs created in 2025 has trended downward since April, with the data for September not fully known because of the federal government shutdown that started on Oct. 1. Recent college graduates are likely to feel the brunt of a tighter labor market first, as employers tamp down on new hiring, and workers who might have left hug their jobs .

According to an August report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, recent graduates are seeing higher unemployment rates — from 3.25% in 2024 to 4.59% in 2025.

“This 1.34 percentage point increase represents more than just a statistical noise; it reflects a significant sh

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