As you support students’ academic and career development, it’s important to ground our work in current labor market trends. Recent data from NACE highlights a stable but cautious hiring environment for the Class of 2026 and 2027, with slower (although, steady) growth, shifting recruitment timelines, and an increased emphasis on skills, experience, and adaptability over traditional metrics like GPA.
These insights underscore the continued importance of early engagement, applied learning, and intentional career integration across the curriculum. Students who gain relevant experience, articulate their skills, and engage with career tools will be better positioned to navigate this evolving landscape. We know that, here at the University of Florida, the 96% of 2024 and 2025 graduates that participated in experiential learning saw not only a ~$15,000 increase in starting salary, but faster career progression and higher job satisfaction.
The snapshot below outlines key trends and actionable implications to help inform how you integrate career into the classroom, and into student conversations.
📊 NACE Job Market Snapshot
- Employers project only a 5.6% increase in hiring for the Class of 2026 compared to 2025, but May of this year was the third straight month of an increase in jobs added to the market.
- Nearly 45% of employers rate the market as “fair”—the first time it hasn’t been “good” or “very good” since 2021.
🔄 Shift in Recruiting Timing
- Spring hiring grew: 37% of full-time and 27% of internships were recruited for in the Spring, up from pre-pandemic trends when Fall was favored.
🎯 What Employers Want Most
- Internships & co-ops hold serious weight: nearly all employers value U.S.-based internships, 75% value co-ops, and 40%+ seek campus-based work or apprenticeships.
- Skills-based hiring is on the rise: almost 70% of employers hire based on skills, not just GPA. They want you to share specific examples of how you’ve used those skills.
🎓 Beyond GPA
- Only 42% of employers plan to screen GPA in 2026—down sharply from 73% in 2019.
- For those ignoring GPAs, top hiring factors include:
- Academic major (~94%)
- Industry experience (~81%)
- Industry internships (~79%)
- Internship with the hiring organization (~74%).
🤖 AI Skills Matter Too
- NACE indicates that 13.3% of entry-level job postings now require AI skills, and 10.5% specifically ask for them.
- Most employers (~61%) see AI as a tool to augment roles, not eliminate them—focus on learning how to use AI effectively.
🏢 Work Environment & Compensation
- Entry-level roles in 2026 are expected to be:
- 50% hybrid,
- 44% in-person,
- Only 6% fully remote.
- Around 40% of employers plan to increase salaries for bachelor’s graduates; 28% will do so for master’s grads.
- Nearly 47% will offer signing bonuses to all hires, while another 52.8% to select candidates.
🏃♂️ What Students Should Do (Right Now)
- Start early—look out for spring recruitment deadlines.
- Prioritize experience—secure internships, co-ops, or hands-on campus roles.
- Learn to showcase skills—build a resume and interview game plan around real-world problem-solving.
- Gain tech fluency, especially AI—complete at least one project or course focused on AI.
- Prepare for hybrid roles—support both in-person attendance and remote work environments.
By dissecting NACE’s outlook, the message is clear: entering a stable but cautious job market, success will go to those who build and communicate real skills, gain experience early, and adapt to evolving tech and workplace models. Now’s the time to act—with intention.
