The most disruptive force in the U.S. job market for new college graduates isn’t artificial intelligence — it’s trade policy. That’s according to a new survey from data-integration specialist Qlik, which polled 1000 U.S. graduates (Class of 2024–25) and another of 1500 business leaders.
The combined results show a generational gap in awareness of the greatest changes taking place in the workplace, and that a systemic rewrite of the positions that are in the highest demand is well underway.
Among graduates in the class of 2024-25, 34% cite trade disruption as a key reason their job prospects have changed, putting tariffs on par with AI (33%).
“Tariffs are no longer a background factor,” said Mike Capone, CEO at Qlik. “They’re reshaping hiring plans, altering supply chain strategies and creating roles companies didn’t even know they needed six months ago. Employers are adapting quickly, but many are still operating without a clear picture of the skills available or the ones they’ll need next.”
On the one hand, the grads surveyed tend to be confident but underprepared for marketplace realities:
- 66% have already changed their career goals this year
- 80% say they feel more confident in their career prospects than they did in January
- 48% say jobs in their field are being replaced by automation
- 24% say roles are being eliminated entirely
Meantime, the employers polled say they are quietly reshaping their organizations:
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- 31% of companies plan to increase investment in supply chain and manufacturing despite trade volatility
- Only 57% believe grads have the skills companies need today and 28% cite AI/automation literacy as a skill they’re struggling to hire
- One in five businesses have created new job roles in response to tariffs, including: tariff-mitigation strategist, reshoring program manager, AI lead and supply-chain resilience analyst.
Click here for more from the Qlik surveys.
