The class of 2025 is just starting their final year of college, but they're already sour on their job prospects after graduation.As a result, class of 2025 students are applying to more jobs. Today's seniors have have submitted 24% more applications per job on average than the class of 2024 students at the same time last year.
That being said, "While they are short-term pessimistic, they are still long-term optimistic about their careers," says Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer at Handshake. "And so it's about helping them get over this initial hump. How do we just get them get started?"Cruzvergara says one of the best ways students can find their footing in a competitive market is to broaden the roles they're open to.
Debt-burdened students are prioritizing workplaces that offer loan repayment support. Cruzvergara says more employers are now introducing the benefit as a result of young prospects pushing for it. Cruzvergara says this pragmatic view could be an asset: "I have a feeling that this class and beyond are going to be the ones to really lead our country and thinking around what that regulation should look like," she says. "It's an opportunity for employers to really think about hiring folks from this class who have both ethical and moral backings and want to wrestle with some of these bigger questions.