New Zealand's newest graduates are stepping into a job market that is leaving many of them feeling invisible. Despite years of study, hard work, and often significant debt, a growing number are finding that their applications are met with silence, or what one graduate called being 'ghosted'.
Chloe Cameron, who last week picked up her degree in Environmental Science and Biology from the University of Auckland, told RNZ she isn't optimistic about her near-term career prospects. 'No one's even sending rejections, they're just leaving you empty,' she said. For now, she'll work on her parents' blueberry farm while continuing to search for a role in her field.
This is not a story about individual failure. It's a systemic challenge that raises urgent questions about how we support young people transitioning from education into meaningful work, and about the kind of economy we're building in Aotearoa.
Why is the graduate job market so tough right now?
Employment website Seek reports that advertisements for graduate jobs made up just over 2% of the overall share of jobs on the site last month. The unemployment rate in New Zealand remains high by historical standards, meaning graduates are competing not only with each other but also with more experienced workers who are also struggling to find roles.
Vittoria Strother, graduating with a Bachelor of Advanced Science in Psychology, is feeling the squeeze. 'It's just not very promising, is it? You know, you spend all that time trying to study and then, there's not much out there,' she said. She occasionally gets a response, but mostly she's left in the dark.
Graduates are adapting to AI screening, but at what cost?
To get past the AI bots she believes are screening applications, Vittoria says she has to be innovative. '[I use] lots of key words that they'd be looking for. Just like,