Postgraduate Employability Analysis 2025

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 74.7% of recent graduates were employed in October 2024, which was a 9.8% decline from the previous year. Unemployment data, on the other hand, has stayed relatively the same, with 8.4% of recent advanced degree recipients remaining unemployed.

In this article, you will learn about the current graduate employment rate, the most demanded degrees in the U.S., demographics, technological impact in the labor market, and gender equality trends in leadership roles. Our service would be the first crucial link that will help you better prepare for what will be waiting for you after graduation. 

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Key Employment Statistics in 2025

As the job market continues to evolve, understanding current employment data is essential for graduates planning their next steps. The statistics below highlight major trends shaping the workforce in 2025, from industry growth to shifting job demands. Staying informed can help guide smarter career decisions in a competitive environment.

United States Underemployment Rate

Underemployment means working a job that doesn’t match your skills or education. It includes people stuck in part-time roles when they want full-time hours, or working well below their qualifications, just so they can make ends meet. It’s one of those stats that tells a much deeper story than unemployment alone ever could.

In June 2024, the U.S. underemployment rate landed at 40.5%, just a notch above the 40% mark from the same time last year. Over the past seven years, it’s been bouncing between 38.1% and 43.6%: never straying too far, but never settling either. The highest point came back in October 2017, while June 2020 marked the lowest dip. It's a range that shows just how many people have been riding the edge of job stability without quite finding their footing.

The trend has been generally climbing up since January 2023, with a small dip at the end of the same year before rising again. It’s a slow shift, but it shows that a lot of people are still underused in the job market. They’re working, but not in the way they hoped and trained for. That half-percent bump from last year definitely doesn’t sound that dramatic at first glance, but it shows the challenges the workers face, even though the unemployment numbers look fine on paper.

Unemployment Rate By Race and Ethnicity

The 2024 unemployment numbers paint a familiar but frustrating picture: progress in some places, setbacks in others. The unemployment rate for Caucasian workers has slightly increased, rising to 3.6% in 2024 from the previous year’s 3.5%. African American workers, who have been facing higher unemployment rates compared to all other ethnicities, experienced another bump from 5.8% to 6%. 

Even though Asian workers have always had the lowest unemployment rates, they saw the sharpest increase than the rest, with the rate moving to 3.5% from 3.1% in 2023. The good news comes only from the Hispanic workforce, where unemployment dipped a bit from 4.8% to 4.6%.

U.S. Unemployment Rate by Gender

The job numbers in October 2024 tell an interesting story. Unemployment among adult men dipped to 3.4%, down from 3.7% the year before. For adult women, though, things moved in the other direction: in 2024, 3.5% of female workers were unemployed, compared to the previous year’s 3.3%. It’s a small shift, but even minor moves like this point to bigger things happening. Maybe it’s tied to caregiving responsibilities or simply how flexible employers are willing to be towards their employees. 

Zoom in on the long-term unemployment, and things start to look even more concerning. In January 2024, 1.28 million Americans had been out of work for at least 27 weeks. By October, that number rose to 1.61 million. One year earlier, in October 2023, it was 1.3 million. That jump isn’t really minor; people are staying unemployed for a longer time, which means that comebacks are also tougher.

Employment-Population Ratio

Not everyone who’s out of work is counted in the unemployment rate - that’s where the employment-population ratio helps fill in the blanks. It shows how many people are actually working out of the total population, giving us a clearer picture of who’s participating in the job market.

• As of October 2024, 67.7% of men were employed, compared to 56.6% of women. The numbers are almost exactly the same as in the same month of the previous year. The gap hasn’t disappeared, but it’s slowly shrinking.
• Hispanic workers had the highest ratio at 63.5%, with Asian workers close behind at 62.8%. Caucasian workers came in at 59.8%, and African American workers followed at 59.3%.
• Only 30.9% of teenagers were employed. This particular number has decreased after 2023, when slightly more than 33% of teenagers had not entered the workforce. There’s no surprise there, since most people between the ages of 16-19 are still focused on school or part-time work.

Graduation Outcomes and Employability

Graduating and entering the job market can be overwhelming, but a focused approach can improve your chances. Here are five actionable steps to boost your employability:

While you'll be focusing on following these important steps, our research paper writing service could take care of your current academic workload.

Degrees in Demand: Most Employable Majors

1. Computer Engineering (Average salary: $93,000; growth potential by 2030: 5%)
2. Computer Science (Average salary: $90,000; growth potential by 2030: 22%)
3. Actuarial Science (Average salary: $72,000; growth potential by 2030: 24%)
4. Management (Average salary: $68,000; growth potential by 2030: 9%)
5. Electronics Engineering (Average salary: $90,000; growth potential by 2030: 7%)
6. Healthcare Administration (Average salary: $66,000; growth potential by 2030: 32%)
7. Health Informatics (Average salary: $67,000; growth potential by 2030: 8%)
8. Construction Management (Average salary: $75,000; growth potential by 2030: 11%)
9. Management Information System (Average salary: $86,000; growth potential by 2030: 7%)
10. Mathematics (Average salary: $93,170; growth potential by 2030: 28%)
11. Biomedical Engineering (Average salary: $79,000; growth potential by 2030: 6%)
12. Information Technology (Average salary: $91,250; growth potential by 2030: 13%)
13. Mechanical Engineering (Average salary: $84,000; growth potential by 2030: 7%)
14. Statistics (Average salary: $75,000; growth potential by 2030: 33%)
15. Industrial Engineering (Average salary: $71,707; growth potential by 2030: 14%)
16. Civil Engineering (Average salary: $70,919; growth potential by 2030: 8%)
17. Economics (Average salary: $80,000; growth potential by 2030: 6%)
18. Chemistry (Average salary: $78,000; growth potential by 2030: 6%)
19. Public Administration (Average salary: $70,000; growth potential by 2030: 5%)
20. Computer Graphics - Game Design (Average salary: $71,000; growth potential by 2030: 16%)
21. Logistics and Supply Chain Management (Average salary: $69,000; growth potential by 2030: 30%)
22. Nursing (Average salary: $91,000; growth potential by 2030: 9%)
23. Accounting (Average salary: $53,000; growth potential by 2030: 7%)
24. Physics (Average salary: $73,230; growth potential by 2030: 8%)
25. Business Administration (Average salary: $76,000; growth potential by 2030: 8%)
26. Finance (Average salary: $73,000; growth potential by 2030: 8%)
27. Social Science (Average salary: $68,000; growth potential by 2030: 8%)
28. Marketing (Average salary: $68,000; growth potential by 2030: 22%)
29. Human Resources (Average salary: $65,000; growth potential by 2030: 10%)
30. Public Relations (Average salary: $59,000; growth potential by 2030: 11%)
31. Communications (Average salary: $66,000; growth potential by 2030: 14%)
32. Education (Average salary: $58,000; growth potential by 2030: 10%)

As you’ve just seen, technology-related jobs will be in high demand in the future. That’s why we’ve prepared the best online computer science degree chart to help you make a thoughtful career decision.

Projected Starting Salaries By Educational Attainment

Earning a master’s degree still makes a clear difference in starting salaries, especially in tech- and math-based fields. Computer science graduates with a master’s degree can expect to start at around $85,403, which lands them at the top of the chart. Engineering follows close behind at $83,628, and math and science majors aren’t far off at $83,380. Business master’s grads land lower, with projected salaries around $75,303.

Bachelor’s degrees still offer solid numbers, but they don’t climb quite as high. Engineering leads the pack at $76,736, which is respectable for an undergraduate start. Computer science bachelor’s grads are just a bit behind at $74,778. Math and sciences come in at $71,076, and business falls to $63,907. You can best see the jump between bachelor’s and master’s in business, where a master’s degree adds over $11,000 to the average starting salary.

These numbers clearly reflect how your educational background can affect the early days of your career. If salary potential is part of your decision-making, it’s well worth investing in a master’s degree, as the payoff it could bring is huge. The gap between salaries based on degree might not seem that enormous on paper, but it adds up over time. 

Technological Impact on Employment Statistics

As younger generations enter the workforce trying to turn the odds of postgraduate employability in their favor, a new set of wellness pillars, including financial stability, mental health, and social connectedness, are reshaping the concept of workplace support. In 2025, a fundamental requirement for both job candidates and existing employees will be the flexibility to explore career advancement options as the job market undergoes transformation.

As organizations assess the most suitable learning options for their workforce, upskilling emerges as the simplest and most frequently adopted approach.

In addition to enhancing their current skills for career progression, employees have the option to expand their professional growth by acquiring entirely new skills for roles in different fields or departments.

Reskilling equips employees with the capabilities necessary to take on fresh responsibilities within their organizations. For instance, if an accounting specialist wishes to acquire the essential skills for a sales role, managers can facilitate the transition by offering opportunities for shadowing, training sessions, and skills courses. According to the survey conducted by BCG and The Network, nearly seven out of ten employees express willingness to embrace reskilling, particularly in a dynamic work environment where job requirements continue to evolve.

30% of Employees Worldwide Fear That AI Might Take Their Jobs

• Approximately 14% of workers have experienced job losses due to automation or robots.
• In May 2023, around 3,900 job losses in the United States were directly tied to AI.
• British Telecom has set a goal to replace 10,000 staff members with AI within the next 7 years.
• The advent of early AI and automation has already led to a decrease in wages by as much as 70% since 1980.
• It is expected that educated, white-collar professionals will be the most significantly impacted by automation.
• A noteworthy 81% of office workers believe that AI has a positive impact on their job performance.
• About 30% of workers express concerns about the possibility of their jobs being replaced by technology in the near future.
• More than half of individuals aged 18 to 24 are anxious about the potential job displacement caused by AI.
• A substantial 81.6% of digital marketers foresee that content writers may lose their jobs due to AI.

Gender Disparities in Employment: The Numbers

• Presently, the global labor force participation rate for women hovers just below 47%, in stark contrast to the 72% rate for men.
• This represents a considerable gap of 25%, with certain regions experiencing disparities exceeding 5%.
• Women's difficulty in finding employment is particularly pronounced in Northern Africa and the Arab States, where female unemployment rates surpass the 20% mark.
• Many countries stand against gender discrimination employment, which is confirmed by their ongoing effort to eliminate any form of workplace unfairness.
• From an economic standpoint, narrowing the gender gaps in labor force participation could have a substantial positive impact on the global GDP.

Representation of Women in Leadership Roles

• Notably, Iceland stands out as the sole country to reach a remarkable 90% closure rate, specifically 91.2%.
• Additionally, Namibia, at 80.2%, and Nicaragua, at 81.1%, are two unexpected countries that have secured spots in the top ten rankings.
• Ireland (79.5%) and Rwanda (79.4%) have fallen out of the top 10 countries in the gender parity rankings.
• In previous reports, North America consistently held the lead in the Index. However, this year, with a ranking of 75%, the region has moved to the second position, while Europe has taken the lead with a score of 76.3%.
• Women have re-entered the labor market at a slightly higher rate than men, but overall participation numbers remain relatively low. In 2023, the labor force participation rate increased from 63% to 64%, although it still falls short of the peak at 69% in 2009.
• Despite these improvements, a significant portion of women are engaged in informal employment, constituting 80% of employment opportunities for women as opposed to 67% for men.
• As of 2023, women comprise 41.9% of the workforce.
• However, the proportion of women in senior leadership positions (Vice-President, Director, or C-suite) has witnessed a decline of 10%, reducing it to 32.2%.
• In sectors such as consumer services, retail, and education, the ratio of women in C-suite positions compared to entry-level roles falls within the range of 64% to 68%.

Statistics on Women in Non-Traditional Fields

Women pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering, and math will find this article about women in STEM most useful.

Postgraduate Employability: Key Trends and Predictions

The job market for graduates is constantly shifting due to technology, economic changes, and global trends. Understanding where opportunities lie can help graduates stay ahead.

Final Thoughts

While a degree opens doors, it's your skills, experiences, and mindset that determine your success in a dynamic job market. The key takeaways underscore the importance of self-improvement, networking, and resilience in building a fulfilling and lasting career.

As you embark on your post-graduation path, keep in mind that employability is not just about finding a job; it's about shaping a meaningful and prosperous future for yourself. So, invest in your skills, stay open to new opportunities, and maintain a healthy work-life balance as you navigate the exciting world of post-graduation employment.

Employability is not solely about finding a job but also about building a fulfilling and successful career. It's a journey that requires continuous self-improvement and resilience if you want to correspond to the constantly evolving job market.