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According to economists and workers experts, the US job market doesn’t look very hot for recent university graduates and other job seekers.
“The job market is kind of garbage right now,” said Mandy Woodruff Santos, career coach and personal finance expert.
“I mean, that’s really difficult,” she added. “It’s really difficult for people with years of experience, so it’s going to be difficult for college students.”
“A tough summer” for job seekers
That may seem counterintuitive.
The national unemployment rate in May was relatively low, at 4.2%. Layoff rates have also been historically low, suggesting that employers are retaining workers.
However, employment was anemia. The pace of employers employed in April was the lowest in over a decade since August 2014, excluding the early months of Covid Pandemic.
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The percentage of workers leaving — a barometer of workers’ trust in job outlook — has plummeted below pre-patient levels, a tough reversal from the “massive resignation” in 2021 and 2022.
“It’s going to be a tough summer for anyone looking for a full-time job,” Heather Long, chief economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote in an email Friday.
“It’s a ‘a wealth of attention economy’, and businesses only meet important positions, especially recent graduates, have struggled to find employment,” she said.
Erosion of stable employment markets: “It cannot last forever”
The job market may be limping with some measures, but Long also said he doesn’t think the recession is “immediate.”
For example, the business added more jobs than expected in May. But those profits have been slowed significantly – anxious signs, the economist said.
Employers appear to be reluctant to hire in an uncertain economy.
According to a conference committee survey, CEO trust plummeted in the second quarter of 2025, seeing the largest quarterly decline in 1976 record. According to group chair honorary Roger Ferguson Jr., geopolitical instability, trade and uncertainty over tariff policies were the biggest business risks.
The share of CEOs who are hoping to expand their workforce fell slightly, falling from 32% in the first quarter to 28% in the second quarter, while the stock plan, which cuts the workforce by one point, rose to 28%.
“Static erosion in the US job market cannot last forever. At some point there’s not much left to give,” wrote Cory Stahle, an economist at the real employment lab, in an analysis Friday.
“In a slow, low-employment environment, employers can only stay long ago when they have to let go of existing employees as well. They can increase unemployment despite continued shrinking employment opportunities,” Stahle writes.
Don’t underestimate your personal connections
Don’t underestimate the “power of personal connection” to help them get attention in such a competitive job market, said career coach Woodruff Santos.
Her first advice: Make yourself “unpleasant” to network and build professional relationships.
“You need to put yourself in a situation that no one knows. You may not know one person. You may actually need someone who can help you a little.
If you are pushed to accept a job that you don’t like to achieve your goals, make a plan to stay up to date with the field you are aiming for, she said.
In other words, perhaps taking training courses, obtaining certificates, or doing contract work will help you build skills that will ultimately help you get the job, she said. Also, join a professional organization and consider who you can connect with, she said, by putting yourself in the same room as people in your field of choice.
These steps increase your chances of attracting attention from your future employer and increasing your chances of keeping your skills sharp, Woodruff Santos said.
She also had words of encouragement.
“The job market was rubbish before,” she said. “It’s trash again. This probably isn’t your first garbage job market. And you’ll be fine.”
