Graduate unemployment is sharply rising worldwide, impacting young professionals’ career prospects in the U.S., Canada, U.K., China, and India. Once a reliable route to stable employment, a university degree now often fails to secure jobs. This trend highlights growing skill mismatches and changing economic conditions reducing entry-level opportunities.

A global overview

The rise in underemployment for recent graduates has increased due to many factors, including economic factors post-pandemic, as well as the growth of artificial intelligence.

In the U.S., the unemployment rate for recent college graduates with a Bachelor’s degree or higher has increased to 5.8%, the highest unemployment rate since the pandemic period, along with Canada, which has seen an increase of 11.2% according to Statistics Canada.
The U.K. faces an unemployment rate of 12.7% for graduates who have obtained a degree from 2020 onwards.And in India, only 54.8% of Indian graduates are considered employable according to a 2025 India Skills Report.

Despite a stable overall unemployment rate China’s job market for new graduates remains under significant pressure, with urban youth unemployment notably high due to a large influx of graduates and persistent skill mismatches amid evolving industry demands.The Chinese government has stopped publishing specific youth unemployment figures concerning graduate students since August 2023 due to the sensitivity of the issue. China’s youth unemployment rate is 14.9%, but this does not include university students.

Difficulties of a U.S. graduate : Donna Fondjo’s Case Study

Donna Fondjo is a recent graduate of Ithaca College, having earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting with a minor in African Diaspora Studies.

“It’s quite difficult to get a job as a post-grad performing and getting paid a reasonable amount,” said Fondjo. “It can be taxing on your mind, to get all those rejections for sure,” she added.

Fondjo is currently on a contract in Illinois, performing multiple shows, including Hairspray, Carrie, The Little Mermaid, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the summer.

She has been successful in booking a show after graduating, many of her friends have not been as fortunate. “You can have a job right now, but you’re always still auditioning to secure your next employment…I have been very blessed that I have been able to book something for the summer and hopefully I have something under my belt for the fall,” said Fondjo.

Unfortunately, Unfortunately, she has also faced challenges securing administrative and marketing positions, despite her experience as a social media manager for her dance team and her background in teaching theater to students. “A lot of the requirements are like, we want someone with at least three years of experience and it’s like, well post grad I don’t have three years of experience yet…and it’s hard to get experience when they don’t give you the opportunity,” said Fondjo.

While the economic climate of the U.S. has caused growing concerns for recent graduates, Fondjo does her best not to let it affect her mental health or get discouraged. “In this job I’m not making as much money, but I’m building credits on my resume, and I’m doing what I love to do,” said Fondjo.

Our time is coming

While the current job market may be stressful for recent graduates, the government is stepping in with unemployment and training assistance, while many graduates turn to internships, freelance work, or networking.

“The job market is so crazy right now…but our time is coming, and that goes for everyone, everyone's time is coming, you just cannot give up, and you just have to keep like going,” said Fondjo.

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