As anyone looking for a job can probably attest to it, the labor market cools.
An increasing number of recent college graduates that apply to internships could be a sign of these difficult times.
Careers site Glassdoor This week has published its list of the best internships of 2025, on the basis of median salary, global examinations and notes of work factors such as career opportunities, culture and values, and work-life balance.
In the report, Danny Cao, who runs the company’s internship program, spoke of a trend he has seen among their own potential trainees.
“Although the majority of our internship candidates are current students, I noticed a slight increase this year during recent graduates who apply for summer internships,” he noted in the report. “This could potentially be an increasing trend that shows how internships are evolving in a springboard not only for students, but also professionals at the start of their careers who sail on a difficult labor market.”
Trainees’ programs and learning are not unknown for recent graduates. But more new graduates apply for internships that are traditionally filled in by students could mean that workers at the start of their careers find it difficult to find job prospects outside the college.
“The fact that you have more of these new graduates that apply to internships is the sign of the slower labor market and to group that we descend at the bottom of the career scale where the progress of the career scale has slowed down,” said Daniel Zhao, main economist in Glassdoor, BI.
“Whether it means new graduates or trainees, there is this difficulty that people are faced in the door in the first place,” said Zhao. “So new graduates are turning to internships to set foot in the door, while in a warmer labor market, they would simply go to an entry -level job.”
Glassdoor’s report stressed that last year saw the most competitive season for internships since the pandemic. Aside from the candidates pool, a shortage of internships at the end of employers also contributes to the reduction competition.
“While companies have slowed down hiring, they also fell on the entry -level possibilities and new opportunities in addition to internships, so I think we think we are seeing such high competition this year,” said Zhao. “The slower labor market means that companies are less willing to invest in their internship programs this season.”
So what should candidates do on a highly competitive market? It is important to remember to “consider the rest of the candidates pool,” said Zhao.
His advice is to seek a qualification that can differentiate you, whether it is an additional project experience or even a past internship which may not be particularly on the subject but can add an interesting value to your application.
“It is really important to stand out and really try to burst your application so that it gets this second overview of the recruitment manager,” he said. “In the end, your goal as a candidate is not to show that you are qualified for the position, but to show that you are the best candidate for the position.”
businessinsider
