National Association of Colleges and Employers NACE Center for Career Development and Talent Acquisition®

Job Outlook 2025 Spring Update

HIRING FOR 2024-25 NEW COLLEGE GRADUATES LEVELS OFF

After an original projected increase in new college graduate hiring of 7.3% in the fall, employers are now planning to hire less than 1% more new college graduates from the Class of 2025 than they did from the Class of 2024.

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89%

of employers expect to increase or maintain their hiring

Job Outlook Hiring Projections, 2019 – 2025

Employers have adjusted their hiring plans since the fall. Although just 11% plan to trim hiring, employers overall now plan to hire just slightly more graduates this year than last.

Hybrid and In-Person Remain the Preferred Work Modalities

Employers expect their new hires to work in person—at least part of the work week. This suits Gen Z, which has a strong affinity for engaging face to face and likes the flexibility a hybrid arrangement offers.

Less Than 40% of Employers Will Screen Candidates by GPA

Use of the GPA as a candidate screening tool has fallen into disfavor; instead, many employers are using skills-based hiring to help them ID candidates with potential.

Nearly Two-Thirds of Respondents Use Skills-Based Hiring

Even among those that said they do use GPA to screen candidates, there is an emphasis on skills: Once a student has made the GPA cut off, employers look at the student’s major and experience—through which students gain, hone, and demonstrate their skills.

Employers that don’t use GPA jump right to the candidate’s major and experience to determine if they have the skills necessary to succeed.

Skills-Based Hiring Frequency

Employers Use Skills-Based Hiring Frequently

Just 11% of Respondents Use AI to Screen Candidate Resumes

Majority of Employers Will Be Hiring for Full-Time and Internship Positions in Fall 2025

Dive Even Deeper Into the Results

A group of recruiters review a stack of resumes.

Hiring Projections Level Off for the College Class of 2025

Although overall hiring projections are up just 0.6% from last year, nearly 90% of employers anticipate increasing or maintaining hiring for the college Class of 2025, according to NACE’s Job Outlook 2025 Spring Update.

Analysis from the Fall Report

Hiring Up 7.3% for the College Class of 2025

Hiring for the college Class of 2025 is expected to increase 7.3% over hiring for the Class of 2024, according to NACE’s Job Outlook 2025 survey.

What Are Employers Looking for When Reviewing College Students’ Resumes?

College students from the Class of 2025 looking to enter the job market should highlight on their resumes the attributes and skills they developed in their classwork and through their various experiential assignments. But which attributes and skills are most important to employers?

Nearly Two-Thirds of Employers Use Skills-based Hiring Practices for New Entry-level Hires

Close to two-thirds of employers responding to the Job Outlook 2025 survey reported that they use skills-based hiring practices for new entry-level hires, and more than half use these practices always or most of the time in their hiring process.

About the Survey

The Job Outlook 2025 Spring Update survey was conducted from February 18 – March 21, 2025. Of the 216 total respondents, 176 were NACE employer members, representing 22.2% of eligible member respondents. The Job Outlook 2025 Spring Update survey was also distributed to nonmember companies; this group provided an additional 40 responses. The survey updates hiring projections for the Class of 2025; those projections were collected from NACE employer members from August 5 – September 16, 2024, and were reported in Job Outlook 2025, which was published in November 2024.

By region, 5.6% of respondents are from New England, 13.6% are from the Mideast, 28.5% are from the Great Lakes, 11.7% are from the Plains, 11.2% are from the Southeast, 16.4% are from the Southwest, and 13.0% are from the Rocky Mountain/Far West. (For additional information about the respondents, see the slides.)

Data are calculated based on the number of respondents to each specific question. Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.

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NACE Researchers on this Project

Shawn VanDerziel
President & CEO, NACE

Mary Gatta
Director of Research and Public Policy, NACE

Joshua Kahn
Associate Director of Research and Public Policy, NACE

Andrea Koncz
Senior Research Manager, NACE

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NACE believes in a world that is inclusive in approach and where equal opportunities and equitable outcomes exist for all. Read NACE’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement at www.naceweb.org/dei-statement.

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