Why the current job market has been such a bad match for the college degree and recent grads

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Why the current job market has been such a bad match for the college degree and recent grads

Labor analysts cite a bifurcation in the current labor market.
Demand for jobs that don’t require a college degree are outstripping demand for those that do, but recent grads are also fixated on certain positions with too many applicants rather than high-demand roles.
At large corporations such as Verizon, collaboration and teamwork skills are just as much in demand as technical know-how, and critical to a good job interview performance.

When Jenny Flora Wells graduated from Ohio State University in 2021 with her master’s degree in social work, she applied for 400 jobs. From that crop, she landed three interviews.

“I was told an MSW was a golden ticket and that I would be sure to find a job. I did everything by the book, had a 4.0 GPA, worked with career services, and quadrupled-checked my resume. I did everything by the book, and I still couldn’t land a job,” said Wells.

Wells now helps other recent grads traumatized by their job search. She is a licensed social worker who practices in Los Angeles. While searching for a job, Wells landed an internship in OSU’s career services department, which helped her build a specialty in the niche field of counseling job seekers.

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