‘Very discouraging;’ NC graduates rank among nation’s most pessimistic job seekers

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) —  A new study found young North Carolinians rank among the most “downbeat” about getting a job in 2026. A lot of that pessimism lies in worry over artificial intelligence and a rise in cost-of-living with low paying salaries.

“It is very discouraging,” said Katelyn Reiland a UNCW alumni.

Reiland graduated from UNCW in May 2024 but her fears of landing a job overshadowed the excitement of graduating.

“I would go the career fairs and leave crying because I was just endlessly waiting for a response from people,” Reiland said.

Reiland, who studied public health said after she submitted what seemed like hundreds of applications and months of waiting, out of nowhere she lands a job.

“They did not contact me at all, I messaged the recruiters constantly no one responded to me then suddenly one day I got a call that said that they were ready to hire me for the position,” Reiland said.

Reiland is far from alone – Careerminds, a global career development firm found that young job seekers in Wilmington ranked high for being the most downbeat in the country.

The study said many young people fear job instability with the rise of artificial intelligence in the workplace. The report also found 27% of job seekers said they are worried about the rise in cost-of-living with low starting salaries.

“We do see students who have pessimism, that is a natural fear of the unknown,” said Chris Lewandowski, director of UNCW’s Career Center.

Lewandowski said they are often fighting against students negative assumptions about the current job market.

“That’s one of the things we try to work very hard on with students on understanding what’s at the root of that pessimism, is it a fear of what’s out there? Is it based in facts?” Lewandowski said.

Lewandowski said they try to get ahead of this uncertainty by meeting with students as soon as they enroll at UNCW.

“We use a variety of online resources to help them connect with employers we also host career fairs and ensure that our students are aware of those,” Lewandowski said.

Nic Moyer is graduating in May with his degree in communications and found a job opportunity through he calls luck.

“My neighbor was the hiring director at one the programs I want to work in and he kind of helped me figure out my next step after college but before that I had no idea what I was going to do,” Moyer said.

Lewandowski said despite the pessimistic outlook, he encourages job seekers to keep their head up.

“It does take people putting in the effort to try to be successful in that we can be pessimistic for a little bit but let’s hold onto the optimism long term,” Lewandowski said.