--- title: "NJ Grads Face Tough Job Market Amid AI… | Metaintro" canonical: "https://www.metaintro.com/blog/nj-grads-job-hunt" language: "en" author: "bradlarson" published: "2025-06-17T11:30:00.000Z" modified: "2025-06-17T11:20:28.352Z" --- [Back to Blog](/blog) [Information](/blog/tag/information) # NJ Grads Face Tough Job Market Amid AI and Debt Pressures New Jersey college grads face tough job prospects amid rising AI influence and student debt resurgence in a cautious hiring climate. [![Brad Larson](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:40:40/q:72/plain/images/7bdeb1a3-e576-43bc-b191-7dbbf2908056_1766029465094.png)Brad Larson @followbl](/blog/author/bradlarson) [June 17, 2025](/blog/archive/2025/06)3 min read ![NJ Grads Face Tough Job Market Amid AI and Debt Pressures](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:1200:675/q:78/plain/images/graduate-5.png) [https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt)[http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt)[https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt&title=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt&title=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures)[mailto:?subject=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt](mailto:?subject=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt) ## **NJ Grads: Between a Rock and a Hard Place** Congratulations, recent college grads! You've survived the all-nighters and the cafeteria food. Now get ready for your next challenge: finding a job that's not entry-level in unemployment. If you're fresh out of Rutgers, like Alex Kenney, things on the job front might feel grimmer than the leftovers in your mini-fridge. From April 2022 to March 2025, unemployment for recent grads ages 22 to 27 spiked to 5.8%, outpacing the jobless rate for all workers, which climbed to just 4%. If you've been avoiding learning about tariffs, President Trump has been playing a game of tariff yo-yo with China, throwing the global trade market into chaos. ## **Let's Talk Debt—and AI** As if the job market wasn't challenging enough, New Jersey grads face another old nemesis: student loans. Thanks to the pandemic hiatus, borrowers owe a staggering $46.2 billion in federal debt, and those awkward repayment emails have started making a comeback. So, enjoy that degree, but first, pay your overdue balance. The tech sector adds its own spice up to the job market stew with artificial intelligence. Turns out, AI isn't just for fun and futuristic sci-fi. It's set its lasers on replacing some entry-level tech jobs. [Oxford Economics](https://www.oxfordeconomics.com/) recently reported an AI land-grab in roles such as basic software development. Meanwhile, the percentage of companies planning to increase entry-level hires is down to a meager 24.6%, a steep fall from previous years when it topped 55.8%. --- Ad## ✉️ A Note from Metaintro 👇 📄 Did you know Metaintro finds jobs for you—just upload your resume and let it work? [Try it here](https://www.metaintro.com). --- ## **Trade Wars and Tricky Layoffs** In the kaleidoscope of international economics, tariffs have transformed into a sort of financial hangover—sharp, unpredictable, and hard to shake. However, according to Vince Vicari from the New Jersey Small Business Development Center, it's not just tariffs causing employment woes but the uncertainty they bring. A recent analysis by [NorthJersey.com](https://www.northjersey.com/) reported layoffs more than doubling in early 2025 compared to 2024, with 3,618 workers getting the ax from 28 businesses. Despite the global headwinds, pockets of optimism exist. For example, Bryant Parades and Khushali Vadadoria, both Jersey grads, managed to secure jobs in finance and supply chain management, respectively. So, for those braving the job jungle: stock up on your caffeine, polish that resume, and occasionally peek out into the job market pool, because with a dash of tenacity, that dream job might just be one application away. For more insights, be sure to subscribe to Metaintro [here](https://met.sh/pA7oV). ### Share this article [https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt)[http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt)[https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt&title=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt&title=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures)[mailto:?subject=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt](mailto:?subject=NJ%20Grads%20Face%20Tough%20Job%20Market%20Amid%20AI%20and%20Debt%20Pressures&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.metaintro.com%2Fblog%2Fnj-grads-job-hunt) ![](https://cdn.metaintro.com/rs:fill:1200:800/q:30/plain/images/bridges/bridge-expand.1df895c6bd76d96f.png) For job seekers ## Ready to find a role that actually fits? 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