Newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the employment status of recent community college graduates. The data relate to workers aged 20-29, who graduated with an associate degree in between January and October 2023 and measured their employment status in October 2023.
According to the data, of 299,000 graduates, 61% were employed at the time of the survey. 6,8% of graduates were unemployed, which means they were able to work and looking for a job but were unable to find employment. 34% of recent community college graduates were not participating in the labor force, meaning that they were not looking for a job.
The overall unemployment rate among these graduates – 6.8% – was higher than the national unemployment rate of 3.8% in October 2023. Women with an associate degree were unemployed at a significantly higher rate (12.4%) than men. Interestingly, females who had earned a four-year degree reported a similar unemployment rate (12.3%). Unemployment among women who earned an advanced degree was 6.8%. The data seem to suggest that women generally have a harder time finding employment after graduation, and that earning an advanced degree may mitigate difficulty with finding a job.
Unemployment was lower (5%) among students who graduated with a vocational/occupational degree than among those who graduated with an academic degree (8%).
Higher unemployment rates among recent graduates is problematic for community colleges. If people who have earned associate degrees have a higher-than-average unemployment rate four month after graduation, unemployment among people who have earned non-degree certificates (which is not tracked) may be even higher. Employability and earnings are key data points for certificate earners who graduated from a publicly funded community college.
Community college still offer better path to employment
During the same period, the unemployment rate among recent high school graduates who did not enroll in college was 17.8%, so an associate degree definitely provides an employment advantage for some people. But the statistics clearly show that community colleges could and should do a better job preparing their graduates for the workforce.
A 12+% unemployment rate among recent female graduates isn’t acceptable. Community colleges should do more data collection to better understand why female graduates are less likely to find employment in the months following their graduation. With a better understanding of the employment challenges that female students face, community colleges may be able to modify their programs or their student support services to improve the employability of female graduates and graduates with academic (non-occupational) degrees.
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