College Graduates and the Job Market: Why Zillennials Are Struggling to Start Their Careers

Students at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee are facing a competitive job market upon graduation, and the lack of jobs is not the issue. The unemployment rate is standing at 3.8 percent, which for the country is a sign of success. But for Zillennials, a micro-generation between Millennials and Gen Z, that 3.8 percent may be just one of the reasons they cannot find work, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.   

After speaking with students from the university, many of their grievances are with employers who are offering entry-level positions but are either oversaturated with applications or require prior experience that does not come without working an entry-level job.  

“Everyone says they’re hiring, but no one responds when I send in an application. Or, I immediately get declined even though their application says I qualify,” said Gabby Bestul, a member of UWM’s 2023 graduating class. 

Bestul graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Finance and has been applying to jobs in her field since. She works in retail to make ends meet, but since May of this year, she has applied to over 30 jobs and has been offered none. Many of the positions she is applying for have been posted for 30 days or less and have anywhere from 150 to 450 applicants. According to her applications and her resume, Bestul is more than qualified for the jobs she has applied to. However, the market is flooded with applicants, and other graduates have had similar luck.  

“My parents kept asking me how it was going, and they didn’t pressure me,” said Bailey Anderson, a member of UWM’s 2023 graduating class. “But it felt disappointing not getting a job after graduation.” 

Anderson graduated with a degree in Art History and has had some of the same luck as Bestul, only on a smaller scale. Anderson has worked for the Milwaukee Art Museum as a Visitor Services employee for the last year and a half. After graduating, she applied for a higher-level position within the museum, one that she was over-qualified for according to the application. This Development Assistant position is amongst other similar positions she has applied for, none of which have offered her a position, despite her qualifications. 

While factors like personality and belonging in workplace culture are present, these instances of college graduates and their lack of success in scoring a job in their field are not isolated.   

In September, the unemployment rate for college students between the ages of 20 and 24 was 6.7 percent, almost double the national unemployment rate, according to FRED Economic Data. This means that almost seven percent of new college graduates are not reporting success in their job hunt nation-wide.  

Why?  

A survey found that 40 percent of business leaders thought Gen Z graduates were unprepared for the workplace. Of that, 94 percent said they had avoided hiring recent college graduates, according to an Insider article on hiring Gen Z into the workforce.  

Graduates from the last few years and years to come have been faced with the challenge of completing school during a pandemic, many of which have been given an unrealistic expectation of the workplace.  

“I was finishing my first year of college when the pandemic started, so it didn’t really affect my work life,” said Bestul who did not have a job when the pandemic started. However, many people Bestul knew were furloughed or were given the opportunity to work remotely.  

The culture of the workplace changed during the pandemic, something that neither Bestul nor Anderson was old enough yet to experience. While they were not active members of the professional workforce yet, should they be condemned to the same expectations as others in our generation who have shown less promise?  

The statistics may show a booming market with many jobs waiting for applicants, but the odds may be against incoming college graduates as they approach the start of their careers. Their lack of experience is not greater or lesser than a college graduate from 10 years ago, but it is tainted by the challenge of the pandemic and therefore, newly competitive and robust. Many college graduates approach entry into the professional job market with hesitation, but some employers view their unique experience as a lack of career skills. Therefore, these employers reject applicants and reinforce the idea that the current job market is not a place for fresh graduates.