Post-Covid job growth in the United States peaked in early 2022 and has seen a steady decline ever since. At the same time, unemployment rates have been ticking up consistently across the nation, creating an unusually constricting environment for recent graduates entering the workforce. Unfortunately for MTU, the effect has been especially pronounced in tech-related industries, which have seen an outsized response to nationwide trends.
July’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed that the “number of long-term unemployed (people jobless for 27 weeks or more) increased by 179,000 to 1.8 million in July and was up by 283,000 over the year.” Job creation also lagged behind predictions for July, with only 73,500 new jobs out of a forecasted 115,000.
Exceptions to this tech-job decline include cybersecurity, software, and IT-related professions. “There were over 514,000 U.S. employer job postings in a 12-month period for dedicated cybersecurity roles and technology-adjacent positions with a high concentration of cybersecurity skills, a nine percent increase from the previous 12 months,” said nonprofit employment research firm CompTIA in its September Report.
What does all of this mean for Tech students? Director for Employer Relations at MTU Career Services Jim Desrochers said, “Michigan Tech’s placement rate in the most recently published FDS was exceptionally strong and consistent with previous years,” in reference to a 2024 graduate survey. He added that “no significant trends have been observed” that link MTU’s placement statistics with the national trends. April 2025’s graduating class was the first to graduate this year, and their placement rate data will be summarized in a “comprehensive report to be released in January or February 2026.” Based on currently available data, Desrochers urges students to “be patient” with the job-search process and not to be overconcerned by the market.
