How to land an entry-level gig in today’s IT job market
June 29, 2026
IT Brew: It’s a jungle out there for entry-level IT talent…and by jungle, we mean a wildly tough labor market.
Junior IT talent may feel like the cards are stacked against them as they embark on the job search. According to data from the US Census Bureau and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates (those aged 22–27) was 5.6% in March, higher than the national average of 4.2%. Meanwhile, a June report from tech venture capital firm SignalFire also found the share of entry-level hiring at large tech companies (examined companies include Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, among others) fell 65% from 2019.
There’s still hope. While it may seem like a trying time to be a newcomer in the industry, there are still plenty of opportunities for fresh talent, according to Bill Driscoll, senior district president of technology staffing at Robert Half.