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Key Takeaways
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Judy Marks is the CEO of Otis, a leading elevator and escalator manufacturer with 72,000 employees.
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Marks explained earlier this week that new graduates have the specific advantage of knowing how to solve problems with technology.
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New graduates “are going to make a difference” despite a challenging job market, Marks said.
College seniors are graduating into a tough job market that sees AI taking over entry-level work — but their proficiency with technology gives them a unique advantage, says Judy Marks, the CEO of Otis, one of the world’s largest elevator and escalator manufacturers.
“What this new graduate brings is a digitally native way to do problem-solving that many of us don’t understand,” Marks told Business Insider earlier this week. “They have a value proposition.”
Many of today’s college grads started school just as tools like ChatGPT were taking off, and they’ve earned their degrees as AI quickly spread into classrooms and workplaces. Their comfort with new technology could give them a real advantage in the current job market, according to Marks.
“Day one, they’re going to adopt technology quicker than we ever did, and they are going to make a difference,” Marks said.
Marks runs Otis, a company worth about $28 billion that employs 72,000 people, giving her a front-row view of how large employers are navigating AI and economic change. Overseeing an organization of that size means she sees firsthand which skills help workers adapt.
The research, however, paints a bleak picture for hiring today. In the U.S., postings for entry-level jobs have fallen by 35% in the past 18 months, and researchers say AI is a major reason as companies automate routine tasks and restructure junior roles. One analysis published in November by Stanford University found that young workers in AI-exposed jobs, such as entry-level coding and research roles, have seen employment drop by about 13% since late 2022.
Marks’s advice to graduates: Don’t lose hope
Adding to the data, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates rose to about 5.7% in the final quarter of 2025, up from roughly 5.3% in the third quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. At the same time, the share of graduates working in jobs that usually do not require a college degree climbed to around 42.5%, its highest level since 2020.
Even though the job market can look grim, Marks urged graduates not to lose hope. She noted that while things may look different today, starting out in the workforce has never been easy for newcomers. Previous graduating classes had their own share of difficulties, from the 2008 financial crisis to the pandemic.
“We’ve all entered the workforce during times of change,” she told Business Insider. “So, don’t let that get in your head.”
The CEO also mentioned that today’s graduates don’t have to feel stuck on a single, rigid career path, because the kinds of jobs available are likely to keep changing.
“Who knows what career paths you’re going to do? Don’t worry about it,” Marks said, adding that new graduates shouldn’t stress about hitting specific career milestones on a set schedule.
Graduates should instead forge their own career paths, Marks advised. “Hard work still matters,” she said.
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