MACON, Ga. — Last month, US employers added more than 900,000 workers to their payrolls, yet, soon-to-be college graduates still worry about finding a job.
Sarah Adcock is a senior at Mercer University. She’s currently majoring in Global Health with minors in Marketing and Art.
I'm not really sure there that many opportunities for me, as of now,” said Adcock.
Her hope was to get a public relations job after graduation, but then the pandemic hit.
I have thought it out and decided I'm applying to grad school,” said Adcock.
She thought graduate school would be a good safety net since she's heard the job market is tight.
“So if I don't get a job, I'm not immediately back at home.”
Adcock said she's not the only one finding the job search difficult.
“It's crazy that pretty much everyone I know is applying to graduate school.”
Dr. Greg George, director of the Center for Economic Analysis at Middle Georgia State University, said it might be hard for the class of 2021 to find work.
“It's kind of bad timing for college graduates,” said Dr. George
He said some predict the economy is set to get "sluggish" around the time they're hitting the workforce.
“We may see an echo of the pandemic shutdown, third quarter this year.”
Dr. George also says working from home has caused an increase in work efficiency.
“When worker efficiency goes up, you don't need as many workers to do the same jobs,” said Dr. George.
This makes for fewer employment opportunities.
He did have some advice to this year's grads: “Don't wait until you graduate to start hitting the job market.”
Adcock says graduate school will just make her more competitive one day.
“Having that degree may propel me to get a better job.”