Are Recent College Graduates Finding Good Jobs?

8 Pages Posted: 13 Jan 2014

See all articles by Jaison R. Abel

Jaison R. Abel

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Richard Deitz

Federal Reserve Bank of New York - Research Group

Yaqin Su

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Date Written: January 1, 2014

Abstract

According to numerous accounts, the Great Recession has left many recent college graduates struggling to find jobs that utilize their education. However, a look at the data on the employment outcomes for recent graduates over the past two decades suggests that such difficulties are not a new phenomenon: individuals just beginning their careers often need time to transition into the labor market. Still, the percentage who are unemployed or “underemployed” — working in a job that typically does not require a bachelor’s degree — has risen, particularly since the 2001 recession. Moreover, the quality of the jobs held by the underemployed has declined, with today’s recent graduates increasingly accepting low-wage jobs or working part-time.

Keywords: college graduates, labor market, underemployment, unemployment, Great Recession

JEL Classification: J20, J24, J64

Suggested Citation

Abel, Jaison R. and Deitz, Richard and Su, Yaqin, Are Recent College Graduates Finding Good Jobs? (January 1, 2014). Current Issues in Economics and Finance, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2378472

Jaison R. Abel (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of New York ( email )

33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045
United States

Richard Deitz

Federal Reserve Bank of New York - Research Group ( email )

33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045
United States

Yaqin Su

Federal Reserve Bank of New York ( email )

33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045
United States

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