After four tumultuous years, the Class of 2024 is ready to graduate. How are they feeling about life after college? What are they looking for in a job? And how is their outlook shaping their application behavior? We surveyed them to find out, and uncovered five key trends:
01
The Class of 2024 is optimistic about their job search, but worried about finances and the economy.
While 67% are confident they can find a job that builds their career, more than half are concerned about covering basic expenses.
02
Although they’re willing to relocate, 2024 graduates would like to stay close to family and friends.
Seventy-nine percent are willing to move for the right job, but 86% say being close to family is at least somewhat important to them.
03
Employer reputation plays a key role in graduating seniors’ application decisions.
Seventy-five percent read reviews of an employer before applying, and 73% would be more likely to apply after seeing additional behind-the-scenes content from an employer.
04
The Class of 2024 is applying to fewer tech jobs and more government jobs.
About 7.5% of job applications from 2024 graduates on Handshake have been submitted to government roles, compared to 5.5% for the Class of 2023.
05
Students in growing majors are applying to a wider range of roles.
For example, computer science majors in the Class of 2024 are submitting a smaller share of their applications to software developer jobs and a larger share to roles in computer hardware and information security.
How is the Class of 2024 feeling about the future?
With graduation around the corner, this year’s seniors have mixed feelings about what comes next. They’re optimistic about their job prospects, with the majority saying they’re confident they can find a role that allows them to apply their skills and build their career. But finances and the economy are ongoing sources of stress, and many 2024 graduates are anxious about experiencing burnout or struggling to advance as they navigate the transition to full-time work.
The Class of 2024 is optimistic about finding a job that suits their skills and goals
About 7 in 10 2024 graduates are confident they will find a job or other post-graduate opportunity that will allow them to apply the skills they learned in college and build toward the career they want. For the 30% of soon-to-be grads who have a job or graduate program lined up, this optimism is proving to be justified: almost 9 in 10 say the opportunity they’ve committed to will enable them to apply their skills and build their career, and the majority say they chose this opportunity specifically because it offered a chance to grow and do work they’re passionate about. Notably, fewer than 1 in 5 committed simply because they only received one offer.
Students still seeking an opportunity
Students who have an opportunity lined up
What are the main reasons you chose to commit to this opportunity?
The Class of 2024 is concerned about economic trends and financial security
Close to 60% of 2024 graduates say the current economic news makes them feel somewhat or very pessimistic—a significant increase from 46% at the end of last year. This pessimism translates to ongoing stress about their financial future. More than half of Class of 2024 students say they’re worried about covering basic expenses once they enter the workforce, and more than a third are worried they won’t be able to pay down their student loans.
The current economic news makes me feel:
37%
59%
Many 2024 graduates are apprehensive about the transition to the workforce
Despite their optimism about finding a job that fits their skills and goals, many of this year’s seniors are worried about what their day-to-day work life will look like. Well over half are concerned about feeling burned out, and a majority worry they won’t enjoy their work or will struggle to advance. Additionally, more than a third are worried about feeling lonely or isolated at work.
When you think about starting your career, are you worried about the following?
This year’s graduates are considering a range of factors in their job search. Not surprisingly, job stability continues to be one of their most important considerations, and a majority are more likely to apply to a job that offers a high salary and schedule flexibility. But for this class, two other factors stand out. The first is job location, particularly whether a job allows them to live near family and friends. The second is employer reputation, including whether an employer has demonstrated—through direct interaction, public-facing content, or reviews—that they’re committed to treating employees well and fostering a positive work culture.
Seventy-nine percent of 2024 graduates say they’d be willing to relocate for the right job, and less than a third say it’s important to them to stay close to their college or university. However, the majority of new grads would prefer to live and work close to their friends, family, and hometown if possible. In particular, more than 80% say being close to family is at least somewhat important to them.
How important is it that your next job allows you to live close to the following?
New York City is the most popular destination for Class of 2024 applicants, with almost 10% of total applications from this class going to jobs in the Big Apple—up from a little over 8% for the Class of 2023. Other cities seeing gains with this year’s graduates include Washington, DC and Salt Lake City, UT. Meanwhile, the share of applications submitted to metro centers in California and Texas has dropped significantly.
Which cities are trending with the class of 2024?
General brand awareness is a relatively minor factor in new grads’ application decisions, with only 28% saying they’re more likely to apply to a job if they’re familiar with the company’s brand. But a company’s reputation as an employer is another story. Seventy-five percent of 2024 graduates prefer to read reviews from current and former employees before applying to a job, and a majority are more likely to apply if they have additional insight into the employer’s culture and values—whether through direct experience or via content such as employer messages or videos.
As hiring slows in technology and professional services, the Class of 2024 is shifting their applications toward other industries. Government is the clearest winner from this trend—to date, about 7.4% of job applications from 2024 graduates on Handshake have been submitted to government roles, compared to 5.5% for the Class of 2023. Manufacturing is also seeing increased interest, along with construction, healthcare, agriculture, and education.
Change in job availability and application share by industry, Class of 2024 vs. Class of 2023
Students in growing majors are applying to a wider range of roles
The share of graduates majoring in computer science and business increased significantly between the Class of 2023 and the Class of 2024. Students in these majors are also beginning to cast a wider net in their job search, and are increasingly applying to roles that fall outside the most common or expected track for their field of study.
For example, computer science graduates are submitting a smaller percentage of their applications to software engineering roles, while areas like information security and computer hardware are attracting more interest. Similarly, this year’s business graduates are less likely to apply to consulting roles and more likely to seek out positions in customer success, marketing, and analytics.
Share of graduating students in top majors, Class of 2023 vs. Class of 2024
Long term, many 2024 grads would like to work for themselves
Almost three quarters of this year’s graduates are interested in pursuing entrepreneurship at some point in their career. Of those considering this path, the majority are drawn to investing or starting a small business, while about a third would want to work as influencers or found high-growth companies.
How interested are you in entrepreneurship (e.g., freelancing or starting your own business?)
Which entrepreneurship opportunities would you want to pursue?
The Class of 2024 is driven to succeed
This year’s graduates may be anxious about the future, but they’re as determined as ever to launch successful, rewarding careers. They’re clear on their priorities—stability, location, and an employer’s reputation as a great place to work. They’re investing unprecedented energy in the job search, submitting more applications than previous classes and exploring a wider range of roles across industries. While their next steps might feel uncertain, one thing is for sure: the Class of 2024 is ready to make the most of every opportunity that comes their way.
Methodology
Student sentiment surveys
Between March 11-24, 2024, Handshake randomly invited students across the platform to participate in an online survey. After cleaning, 2,687 students planning to graduate with bachelor’s degrees in 2024, from 616 institutions, completed the survey.
Survey weighting
In order to provide a more representative snapshot of student sentiment across four-year college students in the US, survey responses were weighted by gender, race and ethnicity, and selectivity using institutional enrollment numbers from federal NCES datasets.
Platform data
To determine year-over-year applications trends, Handshake tabulated full-time job applications created by Handshake users in their respective senior years (from August to March). Application share was calculated by dividing the total number of applications submitted to a given industry, location, and job role by all applications submitted by each senior class cohort. Job availability was drawn from the change in the total number of jobs applied to by each senior class cohort.