Dive Brief:

• Fifty percent of college students today feel ‘determined’ and ‘optimistic’ about their job search, with more than 75% of Generation Z and Millennials expecting to find a job within 4-5 months of graduation, according to a new survey.
• The findings, from Adecco Staffing USA, indicate that young Americans are overwhelmingly confident in their ability to find a job, despite 74% of respondents feeling as though their colleges and universities are failing to fully prepare them for their post-grad careers.
• For the second year, Adecco, as part of its Way to Work™ program, which helps prepare students and recent graduates for internships and job opportunities, surveyed about 1,000 students ages 18-24 on several job-related topics. While aspirations differ between the Gen Z and Millennial generations, there is a consensus that abundant opportunities exist in the workforce today.

Dive Insight:

Joyce Russell, president, Adecco Staffing, USA called it a "fascinating" time for younger workers, with the national unemployment rate at an eight-year low. That means this year’s graduates are fortunate to be entering a candidate’s market with more job openings than have been available to graduates in recent memory. With numerous opportunities to pursue, the question for grads is no longer how to find a job, but, rather, how to find the right job, she said.

She added that with the ongoing skills gap, it’s critical today’s students obtain training and experience that will allow them to hit the ground running upon their entry into the working world.

When asked about terms they most associate with Gen Z, respondents most frequently selected ‘technologically savvy’, ‘creative’, ‘driven’, ‘self-absorbed’, and ‘energetic’, many of which are traits that could be helpful in landing a job, Russell notes.