Each year, the 12twenty Jobs Report offers a snapshot of what it’s like for students who are entering the workforce, and what it says about the companies hiring them, along with the broader economic outlook. This year’s data tells a familiar but evolving story: early-career hiring is under pressure, pathways are shifting, and outcomes are increasingly shaped by timing, skills, and access.
Drawing on millions of outcomes across undergraduate, MBA, and law programs, the 2026 Jobs Report helps answer a question many career leaders are asking: in our current economic climate, what’s actually changing, and what still holds true?
Here are a few themes you can dive into in this year’s report.
One of the defining themes in this year’s data is the disconnect between economic growth and hiring. Productivity and GDP have continued to rise, while early-career hiring has declined.
This isn’t unique to graduates, as early-career talent tends to feel these shifts first. Now, companies are producing more with leaner teams, aided by automation and AI, which has changed when and how entry-level roles are added.
Employment at graduation declined for MBA and undergraduate students, while law outcomes remain comparatively strong - though they, too, softened slightly year over year.
Importantly, the data suggests the market may be nearing a floor. When viewed alongside national hiring outlook data, early indicators point toward stabilization.
Internships continue to matter. Students who complete internships tend to see stronger outcomes. Employers are increasingly using internships as extended assessments, and conversion remains an important pathway into skill development and full-time roles.
At the same time, job postings, school-supported resources, and network-driven paths remain critical parts of how students actually land roles.
While hiring volumes remain constrained, compensation trends tell a different story.
MBA salaries resumed their upward trajectory after the first downward correction in more than a decade. Law salaries continued a multi-year surge, driven by firm demand, while undergraduate salaries rose modestly, returning to pre-inflation growth patterns.
This reflects a market where employers are hiring fewer candidates, but paying competitively for the talent they do bring in.
Job postings referencing AI skills have accelerated sharply across the 12twenty network. This doesn’t mean AI is replacing early-career jobs wholesale, but it is changing what employers expect from new hires.
AI literacy is increasingly viewed as a baseline capability across industries, reinforcing the importance of skills development, experiential learning, and advising that prepares students for AI-integrated work environments.
The gender wage gap narrowed modestly across MBA and undergraduate programs and remains near parity in law. However, when outcomes are broken down by industry, region, and race-gender intersections, disparities persist.
The data reinforces that progress is real, though uneven, and that transparency and long-term measurement remain essential.
The 2026 12twenty Jobs Report offers clarity in a complex moment: early-career hiring is relatively cooler, pathways are evolving, and outcomes increasingly depend on preparation, access, and timing.
For career leaders and employers alike, the opportunity now is to thoughtfully adapt to how early careers are evolving.
Explore the full Jobs Report to dig into the data behind these trends.
