For recent graduates trying to launch their careers, the first step on America’s professional ladder is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
Entry-level roles have traditionally offered young workers a chance to learn the fundamentals, develop practical skills and gain the experience needed to advance.
Instead, newcomers are now competing with seasoned professionals for a shrinking number of quality starter jobs, making it harder to get a foot in the door.
Indeed Hiring Lab reports that entry-level job postings have continued to decline since reaching a high in 2022. In May 2026, listings were down 7.5 percent from the same month a year earlier.
The competition is also coming from workers with lengthy résumés. Nearly half—49 percent—of applications for entry-level positions came from people with at least a decade of experience, according to Indeed.
For 27-year-old Daniel Pezzetta of Hardwick, New Jersey, that trend has become personal. After being laid off twice from jobs he valued, he was forced to take a sharply lower-paying position outside his preferred field—one that barely meets his monthly expenses.
Pezzetta earned a master’s degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University in June 2024. After spending years working at summer camps, he chose to turn his interest in outdoor education into a full-time career.
He began as a camp coordinator at YMCA Camp Mason in Hardwick, then advanced to program manager with the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey. In 2024, the role paid him about $70,000 a year.
A year later, he was laid off.
Pezzetta eventually returned to the same line of work as a site director for Steve & Kate’s Camp in Philadelphia, earning $45,000 annually. But before he had completed a year in the job, he was laid off once more.
Daniel Pezzetta has lost two jobs in his chosen profession and is now competing for entry-level positions
Pezzetta received a master’s degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University in June 2024
Pezzetta is currently working as a field organizer for Rebecca Bennett, who is campaigning in New Jersey’s 7th District to defeat two-term Representative Tom Kean Jr.
That position, however, is also temporary and is expected to end when the midterm election takes place in less than a month.
With another deadline approaching, Pezzetta is urgently searching for his next opportunity. “I’ve been applying and networking like crazy,” he told Our News Outlet.
“These last two years have been just brutal.”
His search has turned into a relentless cycle of interviews, applications and rejections, often against candidates whose experience far exceeds what the advertised positions require.
“When I was job hunting in 2023, when I had much less experience, I was getting so many interviews. I would have four or five a day,” he said.
At the time, he had enough options to compare employers, choose a role that suited him and look for a workplace culture where he felt comfortable.
“Now it very much feels like I’m basically begging for someone to give that chance for me,” he said.
Pezzetta worked at summer camps during his time in school
One expert said the hiring market shifted after the pandemic, when employers suddenly had more workers to choose from and were no longer competing as hard to attract talent
Melissa Pennington, a global HR executive and founder of HR On Demand, said the hiring market has shifted since the pandemic, when surging demand for people and rising salaries drove a highly competitive market for talent.
Since then, there has been a massive overcorrection that’s gone further than she expected, leaving employers with an unusually deep pool of experienced workers willing to take junior positions.
‘There have been quite a few rounds of layoffs – and companies are benefiting from so much available talent that’s willing to take junior roles,’ she told Our News Outlet.
‘They’re getting experienced talent for a low price.’
For job seekers – both entry-level and with years of experience – the competition often begins before a human recruiter ever sees their job application.
That’s thanks in part to the growing use of AI in the hiring process, which allows firms ever faster and easier ways to screen candidates, said Pennington.
‘You might submit an application for a job that you believe you’re qualified for, and the applicant tracking system rejects you because you don’t have the right keywords or the formatting is off,’ she said.
Research from the US Census Bureau asserts that AI has not triggered a widespread collapse in graduate employment.
Nevertheless, graduates entering the job market with majors most at risk from AI disruption – like computer science – have seen a five percent decline in employment and starting earnings that are 13 percent lower, according to census data from 2024.
Melissa Pennington, a global HR executive and founder of HR On Demand, said the shift has gone further than she expected, with more experienced workers now willing to take junior jobs
And it doesn’t get any easier after the first interview. Pezzetta described one interview where he was asked to complete a big project that he found off-putting – and he ultimately withdrew from consideration.
In another case, he told us the interviewer ghosted him.
‘Actually, it’s happened twice that someone scheduled an interview with me and the interviewer never showed up,’ he said.
Pennington confirmed that in her experience, the average interview process has become longer and more complicated, with some companies taking weeks to respond to candidates.
‘I feel the interview process has become longer than necessary,’ she said. ‘No one wants to wait two or three weeks for a follow-up.’
Pennington told us that young workers are not powerless in a job market where they are increasingly competing against experienced candidates. Her advice is to focus on skills that can help you stand out, particularly technology skills that more experienced workers may lack.
‘While there are people with experience applying for these jobs, they don’t necessarily have the tech skills that early career people possess,’ she said.
She also warned young workers against assuming that another expensive degree is always the answer.
‘Training certifications would be a route that’s more efficient for their pockets,’ Pennington said, adding that young workers should consider workforce development grants or employer-paid classes before taking on more student debt.
And she urged graduates not to feel pressured to move out or rush into a career simply because of what they see other people doing online.
‘Stop looking at “what everyone else is doing” on social media because most of the time it’s not real,’ she said.
Instead, she advised young workers to build their skills, network while they are still in school and create a portfolio that shows off their abilities.
Pezzetta said with the way his job prospects are, it could take him years to make his dream of buying a home reality
For Pezzetta, the consequences of remaining stuck in the entry-level jobs cycle go well beyond frustration.
He was born with aortic stenosis and has undergone multiple heart surgeries. He can no longer remain on his parents’ health insurance, and the cost of going without coverage has forced him to put off essential medical care.
‘With insurance, just paying for my medication is about four bucks. Without, it’s more than $50,’ he said.
Pezzetta said he was diagnosed with a second heart condition about two years ago and has needed to see electrophysiologists to address it. But without insurance, he has been unable to see a doctor.
And the longer Pezzetta remains without stable employment, the further he gets from other big life goals like buying a home.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, just 37.9 percent of US households headed by someone under the age of 35 owned their home, according to data from the Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancy Survey.
‘Honestly, positively, I would say 15 years [to buy a home], but another 15 years would probably be the most likely,’ he said.
