Unemployment among young college graduates reached post-pandemic record in 2025
Early-career joblessness is up this year as a result of federal layoffs, research funding cuts, tariff policy and increased reliance on AI across industries.
A chart comparing unemployment overtime for the total U.S. workforce with that of workers aged 22 to 27; college graduates overall; and college graduates aged 22 to 27. The trend lines show a pronounced spike in unemployment among young college graduates in early 2025.
