Thursday, March 12, 2026

College graduates should move their job search to Raleigh or Baltimore

College graduates should move their job search to Raleigh or Baltimore

Generation Z college graduates could have just thrown their graduation hats within the air and are excited in regards to the careers that lie ahead – but they have to join the queue of young, highly qualified “unemployable” professionals who simply cannot find work in the present job market.

The difficult job market – and high rents – mean that those considering moving to New York or just like pursue their American dream should look to smaller cities where there’s less competition.

New research shows that Raleigh, NC is the most effective place for school graduates to search out their first job.

The ADP Research Institute analyzed 55 U.S. metropolitan areas with a minimum of 1 million residents and evaluated over 4 million people of their 20s. Raleigh got here in at the best rank with the most effective college graduate hiring rate, wages above the eightieth percentile and moderate affordability.

“Higher salaries in busy metropolitan areas may seem irresistible. But the true value of a paycheck is more complex than it seems,” the report explains. “And to get that paycheck in the first place, you have to get hired.”

As a part of the American “Research Triangle,” Raleigh is home to over 300 corporations, lots of which operate within the science and technology sector and are searching for recent talent.

Young recent employees can expect an annual salary (adjusted for affordability) of about $52,857.

While graduates can expect the next salary (over $58,000) in the event that they find employment within the San Francisco Bay Area, their possibilities of even being hired in Raleigh are greater than twice as high.

The top 5 cities for university graduates

1. Raleigh
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $52,857
Recruitment rate: 5%

2. Baltimore
Affordability-adjusted annual salary: $50,767
Recruitment rate: 3.4%
(The hiring rate indicates how much employers have increased their workforce of well-educated 20- to 29-year-olds.)

3. Austin
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $57,522
Recruitment rate: 2.7%

4. Atlanta
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $50,631
Recruitment rate: 2.9%

5.Charlotte
Affordability-adjusted annual wage: $51,606
Recruitment rate: 2.8%

Baltimore and Austin followed Raleigh in ADP’s rating of top metropolitan areas for job-seeking college graduates for similar reasons: good job prospects in science and technology.

Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, round out the highest five cities for school graduates.

Why are university graduates “unemployable”?

There is a growing group of Generation Z members who’re classified as NEETs (not in employment, education or training). But not all of them are unemployed by selection.

A significant slice of them are highly expert and wish to work, but simply cannot discover a job – and will never find one, a recent report from Korn Ferry warned.

During the pandemic, corporations paused hiring to organize for a recession that ultimately never got here.

Currently, employers are adopting a “wait and see” approach as AI guarantees to revolutionize the best way we work.

“They are hesitant to take on full-time positions,” explains Adam Prager, co-head of Korn Ferry’s North American skilled services business, adding that employers expect AI to extend the efficiency of their employees and don’t need to resort to layoffs at a later date.

But employers’ reluctance has made it hell for school graduates attempting to enter the workforce: as corporations cling to the workforce they’ve and expect them to make do with less, young talent has change into virtually unemployable.

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