New research ranks San Diego among the worst major metro areas for young adults seeking careers after college as graduates face a tough job market.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Thousands of college students across San Diego are graduating this spring and preparing to enter the workforce, but for many in the Class of 2026, landing that first job is proving far more difficult than expected.
A cooling job market, hiring slowdowns, and the growing role of artificial intelligence are creating new obstacles for young professionals entering the workforce.
The anxiety surrounding AI was on full display during a recent graduation ceremony at the University of Central Florida, where a commencement speaker was booed while discussing artificial intelligence and its growing influence on the future of work.
“The rise of artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution,” the speaker said before receiving boos from the crowd.
Moments later, another mention of AI drew a similar reaction.
“Now AI capabilities are in the palm of our hands,” the speaker said, again prompting boos from graduates.
For students in San Diego, concerns about the job market are backed up by new data.
Research from ADP ranked San Diego near the bottom nationally for young adults trying to secure college-level jobs, placing the region 51st out of 53 major metro areas analyzed.
According to the report, San Diego graduates earn an estimated starting salary of just over $52,000 annually. However, the region’s high cost of living significantly reduces affordability for many young workers trying to establish themselves after graduation.
“Climates have always been tough, and with AI coming in and taking jobs at a rapid rate before we can even understand it, you need to be able to survive, to eat, to have a car and a roof over your head,” said Dr. Forbes Riley, author and career expert.
Dr. Riley says many companies are reducing hiring for entry-level roles while increasingly relying on artificial intelligence to screen resumes, automate tasks, and reshape traditional office jobs.
As a result, graduates are being forced to rethink how they market themselves to employers.
“I can say, ‘You know as someone who’s got this background as a recent graduate, I at my school accomplished A, B, and C, and I can see how that might infiltrate your company and really be an asset to what you build here,’” Dr. Riley said.
While AI continues transforming industries and changing hiring practices, Dr. Riley believes personal communication skills still give applicants an important advantage.
“AI speaks in a certain way. AI says very simplistic sentences like, ‘I am’ and ‘I help,’ and I’m going to tell you I believe if you’re going for a job where they want a human, be human,” Riley said. “Communicate, be warm, empathetic, look somebody in the eye.”
Experts say that although artificial intelligence may continue reshaping the hiring process, graduates who can adapt quickly, communicate effectively, and stand out personally may still have the best chance of securing that critical first opportunity.