New Grads Struggle As Employers Raise The Bar For Entry-Level Jobs

The findings highlight a disconnect between employers’ expectations and the opportunities available to workers entering the labor market.

Recent college graduates say jobs advertised as entry-level increasingly require years of professional experience, creating another barrier for young workers trying to establish their careers, CNBC reports.

A Cengage Group survey found 77% of recent graduates believe employers are demanding too much experience for entry-level positions, while 75% said there are not enough jobs that genuinely qualify as entry-level. The findings highlight a disconnect between employers’ expectations and the opportunities available to workers entering the labor market.

The survey, conducted from April through August, included 1,100 recent U.S. graduates, 931 full-time hiring managers, and 759 college instructors.

Rachel Grandis, a 22-year-old Elon University graduate, told CNBC Make It that she has struggled to secure a full-time position despite graduating in May with a degree in strategic communications and gaining experience through internships and other jobs while in school.

“Entry-level to these companies is somebody who’s coming from three years of experience in the workforce,” Grandis told the outlet.

Employers are also confronting challenges as workplace demands evolve. Seventy-two percent of employers surveyed said the pace of workplace change has made it difficult for colleges and universities to keep their programs current. Employers identified teamwork, project coordination, and problem-solving as areas where some recent graduates need additional development.

Cengage CEO Michael Hansen said employers have raised expectations for new workers and increasingly want employees who can contribute quickly rather than require extensive training. Expanding internships, apprenticeships, and other opportunities for students to gain practical experience could help bridge the divide between education and employment.

Early-career opportunities also remain limited. Job postings on Handshake increased just 1% from July 2025 through June 2026 compared with the previous year, following three consecutive years of declines. Employers posted nearly twice as many full-time opportunities for the class of 2022 as they did for the class of 2026, according to the outlet.

The difficult transition into the workforce is also affecting how graduates view the value of higher education. Just 37% of those surveyed said their education was worth the cost, compared with 68% in 2022.

The findings underscore a persistent challenge for new graduates: gaining the professional experience employers increasingly expect while competing for fewer opportunities designed to help them acquire it.