53% bachelors aged 25-and-under in the US are jobless...

1 in 2 new graduates are jobless or underemployed
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press
Sunday, April 22, 2012

(04-22) 07:02 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) -- The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work.

A weak labor market already has left half of young college graduates either jobless or underemployed in positions that don't fully use their skills and knowledge.

Young adults with bachelor's degrees are increasingly scraping by in lower-wage jobs ? waiter or waitress, bartender, retail clerk or receptionist, for example ? and that's confounding their hopes a degree would pay off despite higher tuition and mounting student loans.

An analysis of government data conducted for The Associated Press lays bare the highly uneven prospects for holders of bachelor's degrees.

About 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor's degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed, the highest share in at least 11 years. In 2000, the share was at a low of 41 percent, before the dot-com bust erased job gains for college graduates in the telecommunications and IT fields.

Out of the 1.5 million who languished in the job market, about half were underemployed, an increase from the previous year.

Broken down by occupation, young college graduates were heavily represented in jobs that require a high school diploma or less.

In the last year, they were more likely to be employed as waiters, waitresses, bartenders and food-service helpers than as engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians combined (100,000 versus 90,000). There were more working in office-related jobs such as receptionist or payroll clerk than in all computer professional jobs (163,000 versus 100,000). More also were employed as cashiers, retail clerks and customer representatives than engineers (125,000 versus 80,000).

According to government projections released last month, only three of the 30 occupations with the largest projected number of job openings by 2020 will require a bachelor's degree or higher to fill the position ? teachers, college professors and accountants. Most job openings are in professions such as retail sales, fast food and truck driving, jobs which aren't easily replaced by computers.

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level; those with nursing, teaching, accounting or computer science degrees were among the most likely.

Source

Thats sad but not at all surprising. For the past 5 years or so, many Americans have been underemployed. It's a domino effect really. In the simplest terms...

1. Dude with a doctorate gets laid off...so he applies for a job with master's qualifications.

2. Dude with a master's gets laid off and he applies for a job with bachelor's qualifications.

3. Dude with a bachelor's gets laid off and he applies for a job with associate's qualifications

4. Dude with associate's gets laid off and he applies for a job with HS grad qualifications.

5. HS grad can't find a job flipping burgers nowadays

It all rolls downhill and it's really sad. But there are ALOT of overqualified/underemployed Americans right now. But imo, underemployed beats unemployed.

That's why I majored in accounting.

That's why I majored in accounting.

Jackc8

Titles have lenghts restrictions.

Who would major in these pathetic fields though? Anything within the science/business field is always high in demand career wise. Want to find a job, study something that people are actually going to need in the future.

Ackad

Who would major in these pathetic fields though? Anything within the science/business field is always high in demand career wise. Want to find a job, study something that people are actually going to need in the future.

Ackad

Who would major in these pathetic fields though? Anything within the science/business field is always high in demand career wise. Want to find a job, study something that people are actually going to need in the future.

Ackad

Precisely why going to college/university is kinda pointless really.

[QUOTE="Lethalhazard"][QUOTE="Ackad"]

Who would major in these pathetic fields though? Anything within the science/business field is always high in demand career wise. Want to find a job, study something that people are actually going to need in the future.

Ackad

[QUOTE="Ackad"]

Who would major in these pathetic fields though? Anything within the science/business field is always high in demand career wise. Want to find a job, study something that people are actually going to need in the future.

Lethalhazard

[QUOTE="Lethalhazard"][QUOTE="Ackad"]

Who would major in these pathetic fields though? Anything within the science/business field is always high in demand career wise. Want to find a job, study something that people are actually going to need in the future.

SolidSnake35

A lot of the Biology related courses are mainly memorization. It's actually hard since it is boring as sh!t.

Math and Chem require a bit more.

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"][QUOTE="Lethalhazard"] Many people aren't intelligent enough to major in science successfully, and for business......well, that's really not needed right now or in high demand. There are tons of people graduating with business degrees and doing nothing with it. Omni-Wrath

A lot of the Biology related courses are mainly memorization. It's actually hard since it is boring as sh!t.

Math and Chem require a bit more.

Can't wait to graduate in two years...

I know exactly how that is. I'm a 26 year old college grad and have been looking for a part-time job for to subsidise my income some for the past TWO YEARS. I've gotten nothing in return. And it's not like I'm blowing interviews because I can't even get one. I've applied to places like Walmart and Target countless times and haven't heard back once. I majored in graphic design and couldn't even get an interview at the art/framing shop by me that I'm way overqualified for. We keep hearing how job losses have come way down and that's great. The problem is companies still just aren't hiring. Huge stores that used to almost hire non-stop now hire maybe 1-2 people a month out of the thousands that apply there every week. I know people in their mid-20s who have been unemployed ever since college graduation 3 years ago. It's EXTREMELY hard to get even entry level jobs anymore in certain regions of the country.

I know exactly how that is. I'm a 26 year old college grad and have been looking for a part-time job for to subsidise my income some for the past TWO YEARS. I've gotten nothing in return. And it's not like I'm blowing interviews because I can't even get one. I've applied to places like Walmart and Target countless times and haven't heard back once. I majored in graphic design and couldn't even get an interview at the art/framing shop by me that I'm way overqualified for. We keep hearing how job losses have come way down and that's great. The problem is companies still just aren't hiring. Huge stores that used to almost hire non-stop now maybe 1-2 people a month out of the thousands that apply there every week.

Pirate700

22-year-old college grad here, I know that feeling. It sucks. I've been geting more interview opportunities lately so I'm kinda optimistic I'll get something soon.

[quote=SolidSnake]

That's what I mean. People seem to think that memorising a load of stuff makes them more employable.... but frankly, any humanities student worth his salt could do that.

Mathematics and Physics require far more than pure memorization...

[QUOTE="Omni-Wrath"]

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"] Even people who do major in science aren't that smart. From what I tell, the amount of independent thinking involved is nil.SolidSnake35

A lot of the Biology related courses are mainly memorization. It's actually hard since it is boring as sh!t.

Math and Chem require a bit more.

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

I know exactly how that is. I'm a 26 year old college grad and have been looking for a part-time job for to subsidise my income some for the past TWO YEARS. I've gotten nothing in return. And it's not like I'm blowing interviews because I can't even get one. I've applied to places like Walmart and Target countless times and haven't heard back once. I majored in graphic design and couldn't even get an interview at the art/framing shop by me that I'm way overqualified for. We keep hearing how job losses have come way down and that's great. The problem is companies still just aren't hiring. Huge stores that used to almost hire non-stop now maybe 1-2 people a month out of the thousands that apply there every week.

JML897

22-year-old college grad here, I know that feeling. It sucks. I've been geting more interview opportunities lately so I'm kinda optimistic I'll get something soon.

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level

loco145

College graduates who majored in zoologymarkop2003

:lol: What exactly do you expect when you go for a degree like that?

[QUOTE="loco145"]

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level

markop2003

I'm beating statistics! I'm winner in life! Oh, college graduates, yeah I don't have one of those pieces of paper.

And women thought they had it rough.

[QUOTE="markop2003"][QUOTE="loco145"]

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level

Pirate700

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

[QUOTE="markop2003"] :lol: What exactly do you expect when you go for a degree like that?SolidSnake35

I fail to see how someone with a decent humanities degree is any less capable than someone with a "teaching" degree. That's proof that some people can get degrees without being that smart and despite lacking more important general qualities that would've otherwise made them quite employable.SolidSnake35

[QUOTE="markop2003"][QUOTE="loco145"]

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level

Pirate700

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

[QUOTE="markop2003"] :lol: What exactly do you expect when you go for a degree like that?markop2003

I guess we can see why they are bachelors then....

[spoiler] joke guys... [/spoiler]

[QUOTE="SolidSnake35"]I fail to see how someone with a decent humanities degree is any less capable than someone with a "teaching" degree. That's proof that some people can get degrees without being that smart and despite lacking more important general qualities that would've otherwise made them quite employable.markop2003

in before vuurk says they deserve to starve.

Strange times we live in. The value of an expensive college education has dwindled considerably

Such ridiculous degrees people are getting. If you don't want to work that hard then get a basic Biology degree, or an accounting, statistics, or economics degree. If a business is hiring and it's someone with a philosophy or biology degree the biologist is probably going to get the job.

I know exactly how that is. I'm a 26 year old college grad and have been looking for a part-time job for to subsidise my income some for the past TWO YEARS. I've gotten nothing in return. And it's not like I'm blowing interviews because I can't even get one. I've applied to places like Walmart and Target countless times and haven't heard back once. I majored in graphic design and couldn't even get an interview at the art/framing shop by me that I'm way overqualified for. We keep hearing how job losses have come way down and that's great. The problem is companies still just aren't hiring. Huge stores that used to almost hire non-stop now hire maybe 1-2 people a month out of the thousands that apply there every week. I know people in their mid-20s who have been unemployed ever since college graduation 3 years ago. It's EXTREMELY hard to get even entry level jobs anymore in certain regions of the country.

Pirate700

I'm not looking forward to hitting the world with my Criminal Justice Degree >_>

I'm not looking forward to hitting the world with my Criminal Justice Degree >_>

UnknownSniper65

Yeah, makes sense. I look at some of my friends' intended majors, and I wonder how they're ever going to get a job. That said, there's something to be said about studying what you enjoy, not what will get you a job. A friend of mine switched from computer science, a very lucrative career path, to music because its what he loves doing.Guppy507

Such ridiculous degrees people are getting. If you don't want to work that hard then get a basic Biology degree, or an accounting, statistics, or economics degree. If a business is hiring and it's someone with a philosophy or biology degree the biologist is probably going to get the job.

Jolt_counter119

I would imagine many of these graduates just expected jobs to be handed to them on a silver platter once they finished as usual. It's kinda funny when people like that realize that book knowledge is not everything and now know no other means to make good money due to smugness, lack of understanding and limiting themselves to only going one way about it.