Recent and upcoming college graduates fear that AI is limiting the number of entry-level jobs available to them, and most believe that their schools have not prepared them adequately for it.
That’s one of the main takeaways from a recent survey by ZipRecruiter, the online employment marketplace. The report, Building a New Path: The 2026 Graduate Report is based on a nationally representative sample of 1,500 recent graduates, who graduated within the prior 12 months and 1,500 rising graduates, who expect to graduate from college within 6–12 months. The survey was conducted between January 30 and March 16, 2026.
Among the top line results, the report found that an increasing number of new and upcoming graduates are competing for entry-level roles, but fewer of these jobs are available. Nonetheless, there was some good news: the share of recent grads who secured a job within three months after completing college increased from 63.3% a year ago to 77.2% this year.
That success reflects the increasingly flexible strategy new graduates are taking toward their job searches. They are submitting more applications, applying for multiple types of roles, and accepting different types of work to get a start on their careers.
“The old model was: graduate, find an entry-level job, climb from there. What we’re seeing now is something less linear, yet their outcomes are actually improving,” said Nicole Bachaud, Labor Economist at ZipRecruiter, in a news release. “Grads are piecing together experience through internships, side work, stepping-stone roles, and even starting their own ventures. With fewer entry-level roles available, their path looks different, but many are finding their way.”
Grads see AI as a big threat
Recent and upcoming graduates point to AI as a major source of their anxiety about the entry-level job market: 47% of recent graduates believe that AI has already impacted hiring in their fields, and 51% of rising grads worry that AI will result in fewer entry-level positions. However, only 29% of rising grads and 23% of recent grads said their college education provided them with extensive AI training relevant to their careers.
In addition, the gap between AI demands and AI preparation appears to affect women more than men. Fewer than one in five — 18.7% — of recent female grads reported receiving any AI training integrated into their curriculum, compared to 28.6% of male graduates. Furthermore, 13.9% of the recent female grads indicated that their school focused only on the risks of AI without covering professional uses — double the 5.9% rate reported by male graduates.
This gender divide reveals a striking difference in how AI training is being distributed. According to the report, “men are more likely to learn how to apply AI professionally. Women are more likely to learn only why to be cautious about it. One of those directly prepares you for the workforce, while the other doesn’t.”
The AI impact is not perceived to be equal across fields of study. At least 60% of new grads in fields like communications and media studies; computer science and information technology; finance, accounting and economics; architecture and urban planning; the hospitality industry; and general studies perceived AI to represent a major concern for their job prospects. On the other hand, students in fields such as nursing, allied health professions, and human services like social work were far less likely to perceive AI as a major threat.
Other Findings
- Graduates who worked during college secured entry jobs at double the rate of those who didn’t (82% vs. 41%).
- Internships and apprenticeships are an effective preparation for landing a first job. Students who completed an internship were a bit more likely to receive a job offer before graduation (24.7%) compared to recent grads overall (20.3%).
- Grads are willing to consider taking on alternative kinds of employment when traditional post-college jobs aren’t available. Almost three-quarter of them (73%) are considering gig work, freelance work, and skilled trades; and 38% are contemplating starting their own business.
- One in five of employed grads say they are overqualified for their current position, and 18% intentionally applied below their level inn order to get an employment foothold.
- Most (88.4%) recent grads are considering an alternative to a job entirely, like going to graduate school, skill building through experiences like bootcamps, or taking something akin to a gap year, while they figure out the start of their career