Rachel Grandis wrapped up her degree at Elon in May and thought her resume would speak for itself. Over the last five years, she produced content for the university's athletics department, ran social accounts for the business school, completed a series of internships in social media and marketing, and also worked restaurant shifts and spent summers at camps.
Yet full-time offers have not materialized. "Entry-level to these companies is somebody who's coming from three years of experience in the workforce," she told CNBC Make It. She wonders if AI screening tools flag her as a 2026 grad and auto-reject her.
Grandis has started sharing her job hunt on TikTok, where a few videos took off and drew similar stories from other new grads. She is eyeing volunteer or part-time roles to make connections that could lead to a full-time marketing job. "I think a lot of people don't realize just how many people are in the same boat and how many recent grads are really struggling to find jobs," she said.
Cengage, an education technology company, fielded its employability study from April through August 2026, polling 931 full-time hiring managers, 759 college instructors, and 1,100 recent U.S. graduates spanning four-year and two-year degrees as well as credentials and certificates. The reported margin of error is about 3 percentage points.
Key takeaways: 77% of grads say entry-level postings ask for too much experience, and 75% say there simply are not enough true entry-level openings. A narrow majority, 53%, said they skipped some entry-level roles within their area of study because they didn't think they measured up; that's up from 48% in 2025 and has been increasing since 2023. Roughly one in three grads say a lack of prior work experience knocks them out of contention, and they view experience as the top hiring factor at 24%, compared with 14% who point to having a degree.
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When respondents were asked who shoulders the least responsibility for preparing grads, the rankings placed businesses at the bottom: students at 17%, instructors at 11%, and employers at 19%. Most said students carry the main burden, with academic programs and teachers also playing important roles.
"The reality is that many employers have raised the the bar," said Cengage CEO Michael Hansen. He hears companies want early-career hires who can think critically and make decisions, especially as firms roll out AI and need people to handle evolving tools. Some employers tell him new grads are showing up light on teamwork, project coordination, and problem solving - things they expected students to practice in class, clubs, or internships.
Cengage's data show 72% of employers believe the speed of change in the workplace has made it hard for colleges and universities to keep programs current. Even so, Hansen said many leaders expect day-one impact and "don't have the patience anymore to train somebody in the basic skills that they might have had 10 years ago or even five years ago." His view: businesses should partner more with schools and expand internships, apprenticeships, and training.
Recruiting expert Bonnie Dilber has told CNBC Make It that when there are many applicants, employers tend to pass on candidates who only just meet the requirements.
Early-career job demand is tepid. On Handshake, listings spanning July 2025 through June 2026 were basically unchanged, ticking up 1% versus the prior year following three consecutive years of declines. Employers posted almost double the number of full-time openings for the Class of 2022 compared with the Class of 2026. And in sectors that typically absorb many new graduates - among them financial services, technology, information and media, and professional services - hiring is down by 33% to 43% compared with June 2021.
For your budget, this slow start for new grads can ripple into wages, spending, and how quickly early-career workers gain experience. Only 37% of grads now say their education was worth the price, down from 68% in 2022, which feeds into job choices and consumer behavior. If you are watching the economy, these numbers sketch a labor market where employers want more skills upfront and are hiring fewer entry-level workers, which can temper income growth at the start of careers.
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