The job market is so tough, young people are struggling just to land internships

Key Points:

• Muneeb Iqbal, a 23-year-old USC graduate student, has applied to 4,000 jobs over the past year without success, highlighting the difficulty young Americans face securing entry-level roles amid a slowdown in US job growth.
• Internship opportunities have declined, with competition intensifying—Handshake reports an average of 109 applications per internship in 2025, nearly double the previous year, making it harder for students like Enrique Torres to complete required internships.
• Data shows that college graduates with internship experience have a much higher likelihood (about 80%) of being hired after graduation compared to those without (41%), underscoring the importance of internships in career development.
• Despite networking and multiple internships, recent graduates like Jessica Lopez struggle to find full-time jobs with benefits, reflecting broader challenges in the labor market for young adults, whose unemployment rate remains elevated at 6.4%.
• Economists warn that prolonged hiring slowdowns and fewer internships could disrupt career trajectories for new graduates and force companies to seek talent externally, potentially weakening internal talent pipelines and employee loyalty.