Computer Science Grads Facing a Lack of Entry-Level Jobs and a Career Readiness Gap

Less than a decade ago, a computer science degree almost guaranteed employment for college graduates, but with AI reshaping industries, these grads are among those struggling the most to secure their first job.  

According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, unemployment for recent computer science grads has reached 6.1% - well above the already-high graduate unemployment average of 4.8%. Unreleased data from the 2025 Graduate Employability Report outlines the challenges facing young workers looking to break into the computer science industry, highlighting unemployment drivers, where career readiness gaps exist and how students and educators can align to better prepare students to be career-ready. 

Entry-level hiring at an all-time low for computer science  

The outlook for 2025 and 2026 graduates is challenging, with the U.S. adding historically low levels of new jobs per month, and the World Economic Forum predicting that 22% of current jobs will be impacted by creation or elimination over the next five years. 

This troubling job market may be a major contributor to the 2025 Employability Report findings that computing and tech instructors are the least likely of all discipline areas to feel that their students are optimistic about their career readiness for jobs in the future. And nearly two-thirds (60%) expect their students would agree.  

Employers are using this job market as an opportunity to raise the bar, and both grads and instructors are feeling the impact   

With a decline in available roles, alongside an increase in candidates and shifting skills requirements, hiring power is in the hands of employers who are resetting expectations. Many are emphasizing the need for job-specific technical skills, which in fast-paced industries like computer science, becomes increasingly challenging for students to obtain and keep. The widening skills gap facing computer science workers underscores the importance of aligning education to prioritize career readiness and industry-aligned skills.    

Computer science educators understand this need. In fact, they are in the top three discipline areas that feel that it is the responsibility of instructors to teach their students specific job function skills relevant to their field/industry in the classroom. Over three quarters (76%) of instructors in computing and tech feel this pressure, compared to just 60% overall, according to this year’s Employability Report.  

Despite a focus on job-specific skills, computer science grads remain unprepared  

Computing and tech instructors (40%) are the second least likely to say that their students who graduated this year are very or sufficiently prepared to enter the workforce. With modern technology and rapid AI enhancements, it has become seemingly impossible for instruction to keep pace. This leaves computer science grads applying to thousands of jobs, landing few interviews and seemingly no full-time offers.  

Accountability, however, cannot be placed solely on educators, with computer science instructors placing in the top three disciplines that feel like their institutions are not doing enough to help students enter the job market. Further, one in five students say their education program did nothing to help foster critical job-securing personal connections, yet 25% say personal connections played the biggest role in securing a degree-relevant job. Institutions must address the gap between a degree and employment by aligning with instructors and employers to ensure students have both the skills and connections to help them land an entry-level job.  

Computer science industry outlook: where do we go from here? 

As recognized by educators in the industry, computer science curriculum needs to constantly adapt to the needs of the current workforce as AI continues to reshape how we work. In fact, computing and tech instructors (89%) are the second most likely of any discipline to feel that students need to have experience using Gen AI before they graduate, and placing first among all disciplines that believe instructors should spend a significant amount of time on emerging technology like Gen AI.  

To properly determine the in-demand skills of the current workforce, computing and tech educators and institutions need to be closely aligned with employers to ensure students are equipped with the relevant skills needed for the job market they are graduating into. What is promising for these graduates though is that instructors in the field are in the top three disciplines that put the most weight on the needs of potential employers.  

This recognition is the first step in ensuring computer science graduates are properly prepared for the workforce. From here, employers, institutions and educators need to align on a strategy to better keep up with the industry to ensure students achieve success post-graduation.  

Uncover more findings on the state of entry-level hiring and employability in the Cengage Group 2025 Graduate Employability Report.