Although it has only been a month since the current administration took office, the news has been dominated by the flurry of executive orders and decisions from Donald Trump. Among these, one executive order could significantly impact job and internship prospects for current students, leaving many anxious about their summer internships and post-graduation employment opportunities.
On January 20, as announced by the White House, Trump ordered a freeze on the “hiring of Federal civilian positions that [are] vacant at noon […] and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided.” Following this accord, jobs in all executive departments and agencies were put in jeopardy except those in military personnel of the armed forces and immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety.
Following the 90-day federal hiring freeze, many students who were either hired or applied for positions in the federal government have been left scrambling for new opportunities. An article by Julia Dickinson in the Missouri Independent highlights how students are shifting their priorities toward opportunities in the private sector. Some students have started to switch paths and shift towards local and state institutions to combat the federal government and start at the local level.
Many have been left feeling frustrated, coming into the workforce with so much uncertainty. As of right now, Trump assumed office as the country had an unemployment rate that dipped down to 4%, near historic lows, and with 143,000 new jobs in January after a previous 307,000 jump in December. However, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has risen to 242,000 after a previous 22,000, which is the highest level in three months. Analysts are expecting layoffs ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency to show up in the report within the next few weeks or months.
Americans, especially those in Generation Z, are facing uncertainty as Trump continues to try to scale back the federal workforce. Although it seems like the job market is improving in different areas, many students are not entering fields with such optimistic trajectories, especially those who are interested in pursuing a career in technology fields. This can be seen with the tech unemployment rate jumping from 2% to 2.9% within the last months and industry layoffs at Microsoft and Salesforce.
One might ask how Trump can have an effect on the students of Stevens as most of the student body are in the STEM and business fields. Some of the layoffs have had immediate ties to Trump’s tech stances, as seen with how Meta eliminated its fact-checking team a week before his inauguration. Moreover, as priority is shifted to jobs for AI and skilled engineers, marketing and communications departments at tech companies are predicted to be at risk of existing.
With all of the current orders being enacted, it shows that no industry is safe, and students are going to have to shift and adapt to this new job field. It isn’t enough to be good at one field or be specialized in one thing; You need to be well rounded. Learning different skills, making note of the importance of soft skills like teamwork and communication, and learning how to move with the market could end up making you a better candidate in the long run.
