The Graduating Class of 2025 is Entering an Uncertain Job Market

Juan Rodriguez had tried for five months to land a job before finishing his senior year at Texas State University.

After graduating on Friday, his anxiety about finding a position is mounting.

Rodriguez is among the more than 2 million American college students estimated to graduate with a bachelor’s degree this semester and enter an increasingly uncertain job market. Hiring slowed from March to April, and economists expect it to slow even more in the coming months. Business leaders said the uncertainty of tariffs has made it harder to invest and hire new employees.

Rodriguez said job listings have seemed scarcer since he began looking, just before tariffs were announced. The current job market does not seem accessible to recent graduates, he said.

The Market Is Still Adding Jobs, But Tariffs Are Slowing It Down

In the fall of 2024, employers were hopeful about hiring the Class of 2025 and expected to hire 7.3% more recent graduates compared to the year prior. When asked in spring 2025, that number fell to 0.6%, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers survey of employers.

“Since the labor market is gradually cooling and there’s a lot of uncertainty in the economic climate looming in the background, this graduating class has an expectation of finding work quickly,” said Sam DeMase, ZipRecruiter’s career expert. “So they’re beginning their job search well ahead of graduation day, but the job hunt is definitely proving quite slow.”

It could be especially tough for those like Rodriguez, who is graduating with a degree in manufacturing engineering.

American manufacturers are especially concerned about the tariffs imposed on the countries from which they source their parts and supplies. The high tariffs on Chinese products like electronics and mechanical appliances will likely interrupt supply chains and increase costs for manufacturers.

Although tariffs have stalled hiring for many businesses, the outlook for the Class of 2025 is better than it was for the Class of 2024, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

“The market right now is still definitely adding jobs, but the big picture environment is definitely not stress-free,” DeMase said.