In the best of times, it can be difficult for a student to find a job right after college. It can be even more difficult when they are also competing with 30 million Americans who are also out of a job because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I am very scared about what the job market will look like. I feel like so many people lost jobs throughout this time period and it is going to be a scramble to get them their jobs back. For those of us who are just joining the job field, we may not be everyone’s top priority,” Marissa Portelli, a senior exercise science and health promotion manager, said.
There also seems to be a misconception for many students that they are guaranteed a job immediately after their college graduation. According to Washington.edu, approximately 53 percent of college graduates are unemployed or working in a job that doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree that they have earned. It takes the average college graduate at least three to six months to fasten a job after their graduation.
The new global pandemic hasn’t helped with this statistic and struggles for many college graduates.
When the coronavirus pandemic started to come to the United States in January, nobody expected it to take such a toll on the US economy and jobs.
“I am scared about the job market because before COVID we were supposed to graduate in one of the best economic time periods our country has seen. Now that COVID has come along, businesses can no longer afford to hold as many employees as they have in the past,” Carolyn Alcantara, senior accounting major, said.
According to the Labor Department, over 10 million Americans lost their jobs and applied for government assistance, however, many believe that there are more Americans who are currently out of a job they just have yet to file for unemployment or fill out a claim.
“I did (hopefully still do) have a job lined up. COVID has put a freeze on it because all the employees are now required to stay home until further notice and most of the departments don’t work remotely,” Asha Jackson, senior human resource management, said.
Since the unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in February, economists believe it has most likely spiked to at least 10 percent in April, even though The U.S. government has not released an official unemployment rate.
According to New York Times writer, Justin Wolfer, that means “somewhere around 15 to 17 percent of the workforce might currently be without a job.” During the Great Depression, the unemployment number was at 25 percent.
“I’m a little nervous about what the job market and economy will look like after this because nothing will ever be “normal” again,” Jackson said.
It is going to take the job market time to recover, but no one knows exactly how long that will be. It is hoped that once social distancing policies let up, that the economy will bounce back. But we can’t be too hopeful.
According to an article written by CNN, senior economist at State Street Global Advisors Simona Mocuta said, “If we make a full recovery, it’s more likely next year than this year.”
“This is very scary to imagine. It’s very stressful to know we could’ve worked for four years incredibly hard to be struggling to find something,” Portelli said.
