Survey: American College Graduates Are Pessimistic! Confidence in "Finding a Good Job" Is Only 19%

According to a survey, only 28% of American workers believe that now is a good time to find quality jobs, the lowest in four years. This figure was nearly 70% in 2022, dropping over 42 percentage points in just three years.
(Background: A false prosperity under tariffs? The real economic test for the U.S. is in Q2)
(Additional context: Amazon’s profits hit record highs but cut 16,000 employees, as the company embarks on an AI gamble called the “Dawn Project”)

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• College graduates are the most pessimistic
• Recruitment numbers plummet
• Dual pressure from layoffs and consumer confidence

With a poor economy, inflation, and AI reducing jobs, confidence in the U.S. job market is visibly collapsing. A well-known survey company, Gallup, released a survey this month indicating that by the end of 2025, only 28% of salaried employees in the U.S. believe “now is a good time to find quality jobs,” setting a record low in at least four years. Compared to 70% in Q2 2022, this drop is not a normal economic fluctuation.

What’s even more intriguing is that Gallup’s report includes another “record,” as 49% of employees consider themselves “struggling in the workplace,” surpassing the 46% who feel “thriving” for the first time, marking a historic reversal in Gallup’s surveys.

College Graduates Are the Most Pessimistic

The overall numbers are already bleak, but recent graduates feel even worse; only 19% of workers with a college degree believe now is a good time, down from 73% in Q2 2022, a staggering drop of 54 percentage points. Those without a college degree fared slightly better but still only 35%, which is also the lowest in nearly four years.

By age group, young workers aged 18 to 34 have the lowest confidence, with only 20% believing it’s a good time to job hunt. In contrast, workers aged 65 and older are relatively optimistic, with 41% holding a positive view. This phenomenon is sad, as the younger generation, who is most reliant on the labor market and in need of opportunities, is the most pessimistic about the current environment.

On the other hand, according to US News, currently, 51% of American workers are looking for jobs to some extent, including both active and passive job seekers. More than half of employees are in the job market, indicating that most believe their jobs are unstable.

Recruitment Numbers Plummet

The collapse of Americans’ confidence in the workplace is evident in employment data.

• U.S. government labor data shows that job openings fell to 6.9 million in January 2026, with a hiring rate of 3.3%, comparable to the recovery period after the 2013 financial crisis.
• The unemployment rate rose to 4.4% in February, up from 4.3% in January, gradually climbing.
• Private non-farm employment added an average of only 18,000 jobs per month over the past three months, with uncertainties regarding tariffs and raw material prices suppressing businesses’ willingness to hire.
• As of the week of March 21, the number of initial unemployment claims was 210,000, with the market maintaining a “low hiring, low firing” calm state.
• KobeissiLetter pointed out that U.S. employment data for 2025 was revised down by 1.029 million, the largest annual revision in at least 20 years, with a total downward adjustment of 2.153 million over the past three years.

The real labor market is often colder than what is seen on paper.

Dual Pressure from Layoffs and Consumer Confidence

This wave of impact not only affects those laid off in the U.S. but also causes Conference Board consumer confidence to plummet to a 12-year low in January 2026, with the proportion of people believing that jobs are “hard to find” rising to 20.8%, the highest in four years.

As of August 2025, the number of layoffs in the U.S. reached 892,000, a year-over-year increase of 66%.

Gallup’s survey reflects not only a decline in economic indicators but also a deeper predictive shift, suggesting that long-term non-farm employment may face a waterfall effect. The employment rate in the U.S. typically reflects global employment indicators.