Overview

• Federal Reserve Bank of New York data show unemployment rates for recent computer science and engineering graduates at 6.1% and 7.5%, more than double those for biology and art history majors.
• Tech firms are deploying AI coding assistants and algorithmic resume screening that can reject candidates in minutes, leading many applicants to report ghosting after hundreds of submissions.
• A viral TikTok by Purdue graduate Manasi Mishra exemplifies the trend as she revealed Chipotle was the sole company to interview her for a coding role.
• Major employers including Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Intel have frozen or cut entry-level hiring as cost-cutting and AI automation reshape workforce needs.
• Despite training and AI reskilling initiatives such as Microsoft’s $4 billion pledge, entry-level opportunities for new graduates remain constrained.