The class of 2025 is just starting their final year of college, but they're already sour on their job prospects after graduation.

A majority, 57% of rising seniors, are pessimistic about their future job plans — up from 49% last year — according to a new report from Handshake, the college career resource, based on responses from 1,925 students graduating with a bachelor's degree in 2025 surveyed between June 14-July 5.

Rising seniors say the tight job market is the No. 1 reason for their pessimism, with nearly 2 in 3 saying competition for entry-level jobs is a stressor in their overall post-grad outlook.

Job creation has slowed on Handshake this year compared to 2023 levels, matching national patterns around job openings and hiring.

As a result, class of 2025 students are applying to more jobs. Today's seniors have have submitted 24% more applications per job on average than the class of 2024 students at the same time last year.

"I applied to more than 100 openings before I got my current internship. And I think applications for full-time jobs are starting very early," one class of 2025 finance major said, according to the Handshake report. "Some companies are already making offers to students graduating in spring 2025. I'm going through the process with one company right now and it's going well, but if that doesn't work out I'll start applying to as many jobs as I possibly can."

Additionally, students say their concerns around student loan debt, November elections and generative AI are dampening their view of their post-college years.

That being said, "While they are short-term pessimistic, they are still long-term optimistic about their careers," says Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer at Handshake. "And so it's about helping them get over this initial hump. How do we just get them get started?"

How to stand out in a competitive job market

Cruzvergara says one of the best ways students can find their footing in a competitive market is to broaden the roles they're open to.

Take a computer science student who originally wanted to work for a tech company, she says: "Tech jobs are down by about 20,000 [in July]. So instead of going into tech, you might consider, what other industries can I go into where I can still use my tech skills?"

Many students who originally wanted to work for a tech company have pivoted to government and health-care jobs, according to Handshake data, which are known to be stable industries that are constantly hiring.

"The second thing is to begin your networking and make sure that you're actually meeting people in your field, whether they have the job role that you want" or are in an industry that you're newly exploring, Cruzvergara says.

That being said, she cautions against applying to jobs too widely. Doing so could lead to burnout.

"Make sure you're very clear with yourself about what you're interested in, where your skill set lies and what types of jobs you're applying for," Cruzvergara says. "Once you've identified those, then by all means, apply to as many jobs as possible that meet that criteria."

Mass applying haphazardly "will catch up with you later," she adds. "Even if you ended up getting an interview, you're probably not going to do a great job if you haven't given some of the things I just mentioned some thought. "

Student loan payments are back on the table

The job market isn't the only thing worrying the class of 2025.

Federal student loans are back on the table after years of being on pause, and roughly half of today's college seniors say their college debt is a major source of stress. That share rises among women, Black students and first-generation students with student loans.

Debt-burdened students are prioritizing workplaces that offer loan repayment support. Cruzvergara says more employers are now introducing the benefit as a result of young prospects pushing for it.

Almost 9% of jobs posted on Handshake in the past year offered student loan repayment help as an employee benefit. It's most common among government jobs, where 18% of roles offer college debt assistance, followed by health care (14%), non-profits (9%) and education (6%).

Students believe the November election will impact their careers

College students are increasingly applying to government jobs because they offer job security; on the other hand, many are also concerned about how elected officials in government will impact their futures.

Almost half, 46%, of class of 2025 students believe the election will impact their careers.

It's worth noting that the survey closed in early July prior to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden ending his re-election campaign and Vice President Kamala Harris being named the presumptive nominee for the Democratic party.

"This generation has been so specific about having value alignments around stability, the economy, climate change and mental health," Cruzvergara says, and students are highly aware of how each candidate could impact their lines of work in those spaces.

Students understand that "regardless of what area folks go into, there will be some ripple effect" of how national policy impacts their jobs, she says.

Long-term optimism

Finally, though today's students regularly use generative AI, they're concerned about its impact on their jobs. Class of 2025 students don't think gen AI will increase productivity, create jobs or make hiring more equitable. A majority, 70%, believe gen AI needs to be more strictly regulated.

Cruzvergara says this pragmatic view could be an asset: "I have a feeling that this class and beyond are going to be the ones to really lead our country and thinking around what that regulation should look like," she says. "It's an opportunity for employers to really think about hiring folks from this class who have both ethical and moral backings and want to wrestle with some of these bigger questions."

Despite their short-term concerns, students of the class of 2025 are overall ambitious about their future: 61% are very interested in managing a team one day, 48% want to serve as a company executive, 47% aim to start their own business, and 46% hope to go back to school in the future.

They're open to new paths and understand the value of developing new skills given changing industries and needs: 38% expect to work in the same type of job for most of their career, while another 43% say they'll likely pivot at least once in their careers.

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