More Than Half of Recent 4-Year College Grads Underemployed
Sara Weissman
February 22, 2024
A new report found that many recent graduates don’t land jobs that require a degree.
More than half of recent four-year college graduates, 52 percent, are underemployed a year after they graduate, according to a new report from Strada Institute for the Future of Work and the Burning Glass Institute. A decade after graduation, 45 percent of them still don’t hold a job that requires a four-year degree.
Those stark data points were highlighted in a report released today called “Talent Disrupted.” The report outlines employment outcomes for recent bachelor’s degree earners and explores the factors that contribute to their short- and long-term underemployment. It drew on federal data sources, job ads and online résumé and career profiles for more than 60 million workers.
The report defines underemployment as holding a job that doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, signified by at least half of employees in that role not having one.
