CS Graduate Unemployment Is Around 7.1%, an AP Analysis Finds: What It Means for the Class of 2026
A new Associated Press analysis puts the jobless rate for recent computer science and computer engineering graduates at around 7.1%, according to the AP report as republished by Japan Today. For a degree once treated as a safe bet, that is a notable number.
What is behind it
The AP points to several causes at once. Part of it reflects the huge number of students who enrolled during the coding boom, so more graduates are competing for roughly the same pool of openings. At the same time, large employers such as Microsoft, Meta and Google are using AI for a bigger share of code writing, and Amazon and others are cutting staff while spending on AI accelerates.
How this compares with earlier figures
Earlier numbers came from the New York Fed. CNN reported last year that the Fed put recent graduate unemployment at 6.1% for computer science and 7.5% for computer engineering, higher than for majors such as art history (3%) and English (4.9%). These come from different datasets and time periods, so treat the 7.1% and the Fed figures as separate pictures of the same trend, not a precise before-and-after.
Who is still hiring
According to the AP, graduates are increasingly landing jobs at smaller businesses that need help working out what to do with AI, rather than at the biggest tech companies. Schools say most graduates do end up employed. Colleges are responding with business-specific internships and more training in AI tools.
What to take from it
A 7.1% jobless rate is serious, but it is not the same as most graduates being shut out. Three practical points follow from the reporting:
- Smaller employers are a real path. Companies that need help adopting AI hire people who can build and maintain working systems.
- Show you can use AI tools well. Schools are adding this training because employers are asking for it.
- Real projects matter. In a crowded pool, something deployed and working says more than a course certificate.
My take
From what I’ve seen job hunting as a self-taught developer, openings do exist, but more of them seem to focus on specific programming languages than they used to. When AI tools were new, many postings also asked for surrounding skills like AWS and CI/CD. I still see those, just less often. That’s my own impression, not data. I also read plenty of comments from people who can’t find work, and together with the AP’s figures I take it that the problem is real.