Online behemoth Amazon said it’s increasing the minimum starting hourly wage for its U.S. full-time core operations employees to $20 ahead of the holiday shopping season

ByANNE D'INNOCENZIO AP retail writer

September 16, 2026, 9:44 AM

NEW YORK -- Online behemoth Amazon said it's increasing the minimum starting hourly wage for its U.S. full-time core operations employees to $20 ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season.

With the $1-per-hour increase across the board for these workers who do jobs like pack and ship orders, the average pay for these employees will reach nearly $24 per hour, the company said Wednesday. The retailer said the average total compensation will be more than $32 an hour including the value of its benefits package.

The pay increase is effective starting Sept. 27, the retailer said.

Amazon also said Wednesday that employees will receive new benefits such as a 10% discount on eligible fresh groceries and everyday essentials at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market online as well as 20% off at Whole Foods physical stores. The discount can be combined with existing Prime member discounts, the retailer said.

The discount will be available to every Amazon employee in the U.S. starting Oct. 1, the company said.

Amazon also said it's rolling out access to qualified employees and their families for a membership in First Tech Federal Credit Union that provides low-cost banking services they can keep for life. Employees can access accounts with no overdraft or monthly maintenance. The company said no credit history is required to open a checking and savings account.

The rollout will start later this year.

In comparison, Walmart last year expanded its 10% employee discount to include nearly all grocery purchases at its stores and online. The discount had previously applied to fresh groceries and general merchandise but didn't include such groceries as milk, pasta, or meat except during the November and December holiday shopping period.

At Walmart, the starting pay for hourly store workers is $14, with U.S. hourly employees making more than $18.50 on average, according to Walmart. Walmart also noted that the average hourly starting wage is $16.

For Walmart warehouse and other supply network workers, the average hourly wage is $27.50 and the average hourly starting wage is $24.75.

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Source: ABC News

https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/amazon-increases-minimum-starting-hourly-wage-full-time-136508327

New findings show some firms have yet to conduct pay equity remediation

By Dexter Tilo ... 17 Sep 2026

Pay transparency action is becoming more widespread in organisations, but a new report has pointed out that employers have yet to fix the pay gaps that this move could expose.

Findings from Aon's 2026 Pay Transparency Pulse Survey revealed organisations are making progress on pay transparency, including 11% that reported it is already fully implemented and embedded in their workplace.

The majority of employers (82%) said a pay transparency programme is in progress, including 13% of firms in initial positioning and 18% in "largely complete" implementation stages.

A quarter of firms said foundational work is already in progress, while 26% said a holistic pay transparency programme is underway.

The findings come amid regulations surrounding pay transparency globally. In Europe, where the European Union recently introduced a Pay Transparency Directive, 21% of firms there reported that they are actively implementing changes.

Challenges to pay transparency

Despite the growing momentum of pay transparency, the report warned that employers may not be fully ready for full disclosure.

The report showed that only five per cent of firms have largely completed pay equity remediation, while 32% have not yet conducted a remediation analysis.

Even among firms that said their pay transparency programme is fully embedded, 21% have not conducted pay equity remediation.

Manager readiness to explain pay decisions is also a major capability gap for 43% of employers, despite the majority of employers (87%) saying they are very and moderately confident in their ability to defend their pay decisions.

Meanwhile, other unresolved capability gaps to pay transparency include:

• Job architecture or role clarity (13%)
• Cross-country governance and coordination (12%)
• Data quality or reporting capability (11%)
• Pay structures or range design (9%)
• Legal or privacy governance (7%)
• Employee communications (5%)

"Testing capability means more than having a policy in place," Aon said. "It means verifying the pay data holds up, that managers can explain the outcome, and that the response meets local disclosure requirements."

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Source: Human Resources Director (HRD)

https://www.hcamag.com/au/news/general/employers-are-introducing-pay-transparency-without-being-prepared/590078

The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 for the first time allowed employers to match eligible employee payments on student loans.

Published Sept. 17, 2026

Ginger Christ

Dive Brief:

• When it comes to retirement savings, workers with student loan debt are falling behind those without it, research released Tuesday by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found. 
• Many sacrifice retirement contributions to pay off student loans, even failing to hit common employer matching thresholds. Among 401(k) participants with student loans, 39% contributed less than 4% of their income, half contributed less than 5%, and 61% contributed less than 6%, EBRI reported. 
• EBRI looked at a potential way for employers to help: universal adoption of a student loan retirement matching program. The program, the report estimated, could bring in matching contributions of between $11.2 billion and $20.2 billion for participants ages 25-69, depending on the maximum matching threshold (4% versus 6%).

Dive Insight:

The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 for the first time allowed employers to match eligible employee payments on student loans. 

A senior benefits manager at eBay previously said it was “kind of a no-brainer” for the company to offer matching funds after the act’s passage. The company already budgeted for all employees to get the full matching contribution in their retirement plans and had a 96% participation rate, meaning the new offering wasn’t a big expense.  

“For employees working to pay down student loan debt while also trying to prepare for retirement, access to an employer match can make a meaningful difference,” said Laurel Taylor, founder and CEO of financial wellness company Candidly, which helped fund the research. “Student loan retirement matching programs can provide another way for employees to build retirement savings while meeting an important financial obligation, rather than feeling that one financial priority must come at the expense of the other.” 

Twenty percent of 401(k) plan participants ages 25–69 have student loan debt, with younger workers more likely to have greater levels of debt, EBRI found. Those with student loan debt generally contributed at lower rates, and “lower median balances among student loan borrowers persisted across all income and tenure levels.”

“The fact that these differences appear to persist over time highlights the interaction of student loan payments and retirement savings over a worker’s entire career,” Craig Copeland, director of wealth benefits research at EBRI, said in a statement.

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Source: HR Dive

https://www.hrdive.com/news/how-can-employers-boost-workers-401ks-student-loan-matching/830450/

09.10.2026

Key Takeaways for Employers

• Only FLSA-required overtime qualifies for the federal income tax deduction. The deduction generally applies only to the additional “half” of time-and-a-half overtime required by the FLSA and excludes overtime or premium pay required solely by state law, contract, or employer policy. 
• Continue normal tax withholding, rather than adjusting for anticipated overtime deductions. Qualified overtime remains subject to federal income tax withholding, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. Employers should not automatically reduce the withholding because an employee may qualify for the deduction. 
• Prepare for new 2026 reporting requirements. Employers must separately report qualified overtime compensation on Form W-2 using Box 12, Code TT and qualified tips using Code TP. 
• Review payroll systems now. Employers should ensure their systems can accurately identify and separately track FLSA-qualified overtime and coordinate with payroll providers on the new reporting requirements. 

On Aug. 6, 2026, the Internal Revenue Service issued updated Frequently Asked Questions concerning the new federal income tax deduction for qualified overtime compensation under the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.

This deduction is only available for tax years 2025 through 2028.

The FAQs supersede the previously released FAQs and provide important clarification concerning what qualifies for the deduction and employers’ payroll and reporting obligations.

‘No Tax on Overtime’ Does Not Mean Overtime Is Tax-Free

For tax years 2025 through 2028, eligible employees may claim a federal income tax deduction for “qualified overtime compensation.”

This deduction applies only to the portion of overtime compensation required under the Fair Labor Standards Act that exceeds the employee’s regular rate of pay—that is, the “half” portion of the “time and one half” amount they receive as overtime pay. 

The FAQs underscore that overtime pay that is not required under the federal FLSA is not eligible for deduction.

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Source: CBIA

https://www.cbia.com/news/hr-safety/irs-new-guidance-qualified-overtime-compensation-deductions/

Thinking about cutting worker benefits to save money? Not so fast, expert warns.

“Maybe the juice isn’t worth the squeeze,” a senior consultant and actuary at Mercer said.

Published June 18, 2026 | Ginger Christ

Companies like Deloitte and Zoom made headlines recently for their decisions to pare back employee benefits — parental leave, in particular. 

As healthcare costs continue to rise, others may be tempted to do the same thing. But they should make any benefits decision cautiously, said Rich Fuerstenberg, senior consultant and actuary at consulting firm Mercer.

About 3 in 4 U.S. finance leaders with budgetary oversight identified healthcare costs as one of their company’s top five operating expense concerns, an April Mercer report found, and 38% said they’ve cut spending on other benefits over the past two years as a result.

“Everything’s on the table,” Fuerstenberg said. 

Companies are going to look for savings wherever they can find it, and sometimes CFOs come in with “a sledgehammer,” he said. HR can help add nuance to the conversation, to explain ROI in terms of retention and to contextualize benefit costs. 

“If we work with a client and we cut their life insurance rate by 10%, their life insurance rates go down by 10%. If we cut their parental leave from 20 weeks to 15 weeks, their costs don’t go down by 25%. Not everybody took 20 weeks,” Fuerstenberg said. 

The savings from reducing paid parental leave also can vary by industry and by state, he said. 

In a hospital or a retail setting, for example, if someone is out on leave, that person likely will need to be replaced 100% of the time. But, in a white-collar workforce, the work can probably be redistributed, he said. At the same time, many states mandate paid family leave, so employers aren’t paying the full cost of the leave. 

“Certainly the optics of this cut is not going to be received well. Are we getting as much value from that reduction as you think we’re going to get just by looking at it at 50,000 feet?”  Fuerstenberg said. “Is it worth the bad blowback we’re going to get from our employees if we’re only going to save such a nominal amount?”

Before making cuts, he said, companies should consider three questions: ​​How do they demonstrate the value of the program already in place; how do they compare to benchmark; and how much would they really be saving?

“Is it worth it when you factor in state mandated benefits, productivity costs, exempt versus non-exempt employees? When you start adding those subtle fees, maybe the juice isn’t worth the squeeze,” Fuerstenberg said. 

There are other ways companies can potentially trim costs, he said, including offering unlimited paid time off. 

“If you cut parent leave from 20 weeks to 10, the company wins, the employees lose. Period. Full stop,” Fuerstenberg said.

In switching to unlimited PTO, generally the only people who lose are those leaving the company who have accrued time off, he said. “With everything on the table, I have to find savings. That’s one of those areas where I think there are savings to be had.”

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Source: HR Dive

https://www.hrdive.com/news/cutting-worker-benefits-to-save-money-not-so-fast-expert-warns/823165/ 

By: Alan Goforth | Date: June 18, 2026

Health plans are anticipating the highest medical cost trend in nearly two decades, with the commercial healthcare cost trend expected to rise to 9% in 2027, the highest in 17 years. This increase reflects the convergence of several powerful forces reshaping the healthcare landscape, according to a PwC report.

“The challenge now is not simply understanding what is driving healthcare costs higher,” the report said, “but whether health plans can deploy cost-of-care strategies quickly and effectively enough to slow the trajectory before affordability, coverage and access come under greater strain across the health care system.”

The report cites five factors that are contributing to this trend:

• AI-enabled tools help providers capture more revenue;
• Inflation and provider consolidation drive up reimbursement rates;
• Pharmacy costs continue to increase;
• Behavioral health utilization keeps growing; and
• The No Surprises Act arbitration process adds a new source of out-of-network reimbursement.

Together, these dynamics signal the urgency to find counterbalances to medical cost inflators in a healthcare system under constant affordability pressure. PwC recommends that health plans prioritize five cost-of-care actions:

Start with payment integrity. As AI-enabled documentation and coding tools become more widespread, health plans are seeing higher paid amounts per claim and greater variation in coding intensity. Payers should respond by assessing high-dollar claims before payment is made, tracking provider-level severity drift and integrating contract terms, payment policy and claims edits into a single accuracy engine. The goal should be fewer inaccurate payments, not more denials of claims.

Manage utilization in a more targeted and not simply restrictive way. Retire low-yield prior authorization requirements, reward high-performing providers and concentrate clinical review on the services where cost and variation are highest.

Focus on critical pharmacy management. GLP-1s, specialty drugs and medical-benefit therapies are contributing to pharmacy trends. Plans need class-specific governance, disciplined GLP-1 access policies by indication, accelerated biosimilar conversion for real savings and tighter alignment among pharmacy, utilization management and site-of-care programs.

Use a network and reimbursement strategy. Plans should use price transparency along with their own claims experience to identify high-cost outliers, reset value-based contracts around specific cost drivers and direct members to lower-cost sites of care.

Make care management more disciplined and event-driven. Plans should set explicit trend-deflation targets by leveraging, holding vendors to outcomes that matter and stopping funding programs that cannot demonstrate avoided utilization or measurable savings.

Researchers write that this is a “watershed moment” for healthcare leaders to “reflect on what will happen in the next few years, as employers will likely not be able to sustain the same benefits and will likely mimic the actions of government health plans,” they say. “As health plans engineer their programs to bring costs to a sustainable level, every sector is encouraged to adapt to changes in how care is funded and delivered. Whenever possible, in the interest of patient care, industry leaders should seek collaboration. Transparency, consumer education and clarity on benefits and policy could improve patients’ health and reduce the administrative burden across the health economy.”

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Source: HR Executive

https://hrexecutive.com/healthcare-costs-projected-to-surge-9-in-2027/?oly_enc_id=1127F6638590B7V

Story by Jason French, Ray A. Smith, Stephanie Stamm

A string of cities across America’s Sunbelt are emerging as graduate-hiring hot spots in an otherwise challenging job market for young professionals, an exclusive analysis shows.

Birmingham, Ala., tops the list of the places where newly minted graduates are landing jobs with a college-level career track, followed by Tampa, Fla., according to the new study by payroll processor ADP. In fact, six of the list’s top 10—including Raleigh, N.C.; Tulsa, Okla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Charlotte, N.C.—are in the South.

Other pockets of the country also punch above their weight as early-career launchpads for their mix of 20-something hiring, pay and affordability. Columbus, Ohio, and California’s San Jose area unexpectedly got top scores this year—evidence that even places with so-so earning potential or high costs of living can be prime locations for landing that first job postgraduation.

Altogether, the ADP analysis—which measured 53 of the country’s biggest metro areas—shows that what looks like a nascent recovery in graduate hiring is happening unevenly. Recent data shows companies are boosting entry-level hiring this spring after holding back for several seasons, but their appetite hinges a lot on the kind of role, sector and location.

See which cities, and regions, offer the best prospects, and how your location stacks up at the end.

What makes for a fertile spot to launch a career?

Researchers crunched ADP payroll data for more than 400,000 U.S. 20-somethings nationwide. They then weighed hiring rates for jobs that typically require a degree against affordability-adjusted pay in each location.

“If you can get that right mix of hiring, pay and affordability, it’s a really attractive launch point for a young person,” said Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist.

The rankings reveal a U.S. economy—and entry-level job market—in flux. A modest rebound in junior tech-industry jobs helped lift greater San Jose to No. 3 from No. 14 a year ago, while a sharper hiring surge in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region in Florida boosted it to second place from 26th.

Where the jobs are

Birmingham rose to the top with one of the strongest hiring rates for 20-somethings in college degree-level jobs and an even better affordability score. Median annual wages for recent graduates, meanwhile, rose more than 16% to $59,004, according to the ADP data.

The area is home to a big bioscience sector, anchored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and large employers in the automotive and advanced-materials industries, said Trevor Sutton, vice president of economic development at the Birmingham Business Alliance. The latter group has fueled demand for engineers at such companies as Southern Co. and Quanta Power Solutions, a unit of the energy-infrastructure company Quanta Services.

Second-place Tampa had the strongest hiring rate. Local employers in healthcare, financial services, and technology have been steadily hiring early-career talent, said Bob Rohrlack, president and chief executive of the Tampa Bay Chamber. Average rents are easing—slipping 4% year over year as of March after an influx of new residents drove them up 38% between 2020 and 2023, according to Eric Finnigan, vice president of demographics research at John Burns Research & Consulting.

Hazel McQueen, a finance major at the University of Georgia, set her sights on the Tampa area early in her job search. She is moving there after graduation to work at J.P. Morgan Private Bank as an analyst.

“We’re seeing a huge migration of wealth, moving from the Northeast, like New York and Massachusetts, coming down south,” she said. “I just felt that was a great opportunity for me to get my foot in the door.”

San Jose’s third-place finish is one of the biggest surprises. Layoffs have hit Silicon Valley companies including Meta Platforms and Oracle. Yet local employment rose by 3,600 jobs in February from the month before. AI is likely fueling some of that hiring, said Russell Hancock, president and chief executive of the Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a think tank.

Few metro areas, of course, are pricier. But San Jose also offers some of highest wages. The California Employment Development Department puts average annual earnings there at about $200,000, compared with $86,000 nationwide.

Columbus, meanwhile, is the Midwest’s standout city, with strong hiring and still-reasonable housing costs. It has been a draw for large employers. The military drone manufacturer Anduril Industries is adding more than 4,000 new jobs, including entry-level roles near the city. One of JPMorgan Chase’s largest hubs outside New York City is in Columbus. The bank considers the area “an important source of entry-level talent,” a spokeswoman said.

Hiring has also been strong in advanced manufacturing. And it helps that Columbus’s four major hospital systems cooperate on talent development, said Rich Granger, director of workforce and workplace innovation at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

Raleigh—No. 1 on ADP’s list for the past two years—slid to fifth place. But its ecosystem of area research institutions, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and other schools, continue to fuel hiring in health and science despite a decline in federal research funding.

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Source: MSN

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/these-are-the-hiring-hot-spots-where-college-grads-are-landing-good-jobs/ar-AA22jZgQ?ocid=BingNewsBrowse

Published Mon, May 4 2026 by Jessica Dickler

• When it comes to starting salaries, graduates in the Class of 2026 may have to lower their expectations.
• College students expect to make $80,000 on average one year after graduation, one recent report found. The average salary for new grads is about 30% lower.
• Although pay expectations may be high, the average starting salary for this year’s crop of graduates is rising, other data shows.

It’s a challenging labor market for those just starting out, and new job seekers will likely have to recalibrate their earning potential.

Today’s college seniors expect to make about $80,000 one year after graduation, according to a survey of undergraduates pursuing a bachelor’s degree by real estate site Clever in February and March.

Yet, the average starting salary for recent graduates is $56,153, Clever found, a difference of nearly $24,000.

More than 3 million new graduates enter the workforce every year, banking on the idea that a college degree is the ticket to a well-paying job.

However, this year, those armed with a newly minted diploma have faced one of the toughest job markets in years. 

A shaky outlook for jobs

As the artificial intelligence boom reshapes the workforce, some large employers have said they’re replacing entry-level positions with AI in order to streamline operations and cut costs. Concerns about the economy and persistent inflation are also causing some companies to put hiring plans on hold.

Amid a shaky job market, rising tuition and ballooning student loan balances, more young adults are questioning whether a college degree is worth it, several studies show. At the same time, students across majors overestimated the future value of their degrees, Clever found.

Engineers, for example, expected a starting salary of $92,452, according to Clever, nearly 20% more than they are likely to earn one year after graduating.

The path to financial security

For many young adults, future earnings are key to achieving independence. Largely because of economic pressures, more recent grads have had to lean on their families for financial support years after getting their degree.

These days, about half of parents — a record high — are pitching in to help, including paying essential monthly expenses, such as groceries, utilities and rent, according to one 2025 report by Savings.com. 

The disconnect between perception and reality only worsens over time. Students anticipate that a decade into their careers they will make $144,889 on average. That’s well over the average midcareer salary of $95,521, according to Clever.

On the upside, the unemployment rate among college graduates with a bachelor’s degree is under 4%, according to March data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employers plan to hire about 5.6% more new grads from this year’s class than they hired from the class of 2025, according to a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

“Those employers who are increasing cite company growth and the commitment to succession planning as their main reasons for increasing their new college graduate hires,” said Andrea Koncz, NACE’s senior research manager.

Rising starting salaries

Although pay expectations may be off base, compared with last year, the average starting salary for this year’s crop of graduates is mostly higher across majors, according to a separate survey by NACE.

“The outlook appears to be slightly better for this year’s class in terms of both hiring and salaries,” Koncz said.

The overall average salary for new grads rose 5.5% to $68,873 from $65,276, NACE found, while typically high-paying disciplines, such as engineering or computer science, continued to notch gains.

Computer science graduates are projected to be the highest paid of all majors for the Class of 2026, with average salaries up 6.9% to $81,535 from $76,251 in 2025. The overall average salary for engineering graduates, the second-highest-paid, currently stands at $81,198.

Starting salaries for new grads, or adults between the ages of 20-24, at small and medium-sized businesses have bumped up as well, averaging $65,734 for the Class of 2026, up from 62,801 a year ago, according to data from payroll provider Gusto.

Kyle Fox, the director of Alopex ID, a digital marketing agency based in Palmer, Alaska, says starting salaries for entry-level positions at his firm are around $45,000 a year, although they can rise to nearly $70,000 after a few years.

New hires are “generally happy to have a job,” Fox said. “If you come out with a degree in media, especially up here in Alaska, entry-level positions are few and far between.”

In fact, 67% of new college grads said they would trade higher pay for job security, according to Monster’s recent State of the Graduate report. The jobs platform surveyed more than 1,000 recent and soon-to-be graduates.

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Source: CNBC

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/04/college-grads-overestimate-starting-salaries.html

By 

Aimee Picchi

April 2, 2026 / 10:40 AM EDT / CBS News

Starbucks is offering its baristas up to $1,200 in annual bonuses and shifting to weekly pay as the coffee chain pushes to boost sales and improve customer service.

The company said Thursday that the bonuses are tied to whether individual Starbucks outlets meet customer service and sales goals. Moving to weekly pay should also give workers more financial flexibility, it added.

Under CEO Brian Niccol, Starbucks has sought to energize growth and boost profits after several consecutive quarters of flat or declining sales. The most recent quarter showed improvement, with same-store sales rising 4%. Analysts attribute those results to Niccol's "Back to Starbucks" turnaround plan, which includes adding new menu items and a barista dress code aimed at improving the company's image.

"As the company's Back to Starbucks transformation continues to deliver results and an improved customer experience in Starbucks coffeehouses, the new incentive rewards program recognizes partners for the progress they make possible," the company said in a statement. 

Baristas can earn $300 per quarter, or $1,200 a year, in bonuses if their locations meet or exceed performance goals, which the company didn't specify. The bonus program will begin in July.

Starbucks said it is also changing its tipping program in the chain's mobile app, as well as when customers pay by scanning the app at the register, a move the company said will make it easier for customers to add a gratuity. The company estimates baristas' tips could increase by 5% to 8% because of the change.

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Source: CBS News

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/starbucks-barista-bonus-1200-customer-service/

News provided by

Monster  | Mar 30, 2026, 08:00 ET 

Economic uncertainty and rising AI concerns are reshaping priorities, pushing graduates toward security-first career decisions.

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico, March 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Class of 2026 prepares to enter the workforce, new survey data from Monster® shows graduates adopting a pragmatic approach to their careers, prioritizing stability over status in an uncertain job market.

According to Monster's 2026 State of the Graduate Report, two-thirds of graduates (67%) say they would accept a lower-paying job if it offered greater long-term career security. While salary remains a top consideration when evaluating job offers (68%), job security (52%) now ranks above career growth opportunities (49%) among graduates' top priorities.

That shift reflects a broader adjustment in expectations. Nearly seven in 10 graduates (69%) say they are more willing to compromise on their ideal role than they were a year ago.

"Today's graduates are entering the workforce with ambition, but also realism," said Monster career expert Vicki Salemi. "Pay matters, but stability is increasingly shaping early career decisions. Many are weighing long-term security more heavily than rapid advancement."

Confidence in landing a job remains relatively high, but not universal. While 79% say they are confident they will receive a job offer within three months of graduation (down from 83% in 2025), more than 1 in 5 (22%) are not confident they'll secure an offer in that timeframe. Expectations around job search timelines also reflect caution: 35% anticipate their search will take four months or longer.

At the same time, concern about structural factors shaping the workforce is rising. Nearly nine in 10 graduates (89%) worry AI could replace entry-level roles, up from 64% last year. Concern about the broader economy remains steady, with 76% saying they are worried about its impact on job prospects.

Key Findings

• Stability matters: 67% would accept lower pay for long-term career security.
• Pay leads, but stability outranks growth: Salary is a top consideration (68%), and job security (52%) ranks above career growth opportunities (49%).
• Expectations are shifting: 69% are more willing to compromise on their ideal role than they were a year ago.
• Short-term tradeoffs are on the table: 75% say they would accept a job they expect to leave within a year if it provided immediate income.
• Job searches may take longer: 35% expect their job search to take four months or longer (20% expect 4–6 months; 15% expect more than six months)
• AI concern is rising: 89% worry AI could replace entry-level roles, up from 64% in 2025.
• Economic anxiety remains steady: 76% are concerned the economy will affect their job prospects.

Financial and Career Priorities
Economic uncertainty continues to shape graduate decision-making.

While salary remains a key factor, stability is clearly influencing choices. Two-thirds (67%) say they would accept a lower-paying role if it offered greater long-term security. 

At the same time, many are prioritizing immediate financial footing. Three in four graduates (75%) say they would accept a job they expected to leave within a year if it provided income.

The most important considerations when evaluating a job offer include:

• Salary — 68%
• Job security — 52%
• Work-life balance — 52%
• Career growth opportunities — 49%
• Benefits (health insurance, PTO, etc.) — 48%
• Remote or flexible work options — 32%
• Company values — 17%

A More Pragmatic Outlook
Graduates are also demonstrating increased flexibility in how they approach early career decisions. Nearly seven in 10 (69%) say they are more willing to compromise on their ideal role than they were a year ago. Additionally, three in four (75%) say they would accept a job they expected to leave within a year if it provided immediate income.

Together, these responses point to a generation balancing ambition with practicality as they navigate a changing workforce landscape.

The Bottom Line
Compared to last year, graduates remain optimistic about their prospects but are adjusting expectations in response to economic and technological realities. Stability is becoming a defining priority. Many are willing to trade pay or ideal-fit roles for long-term security, even as concerns about AI's impact on entry-level opportunities continue to grow. These signals suggest a workforce entering the market focused not just on getting hired, but on building sustainable careers.

Methodology
This survey was conducted by Pollfish on February 17, 2026 among more than 1,000 U.S.-based recent and impending college graduates. Respondents answered a series of multiple-choice questions exploring job market outlook, job search expectations, AI readiness and concerns, and early-career priorities. The sample included graduates and students spanning the Classes of 2023 through 2027.

For more information, please view the full report at https://www.monster.com/career-advice/research/2026-state-of-the-graduate-report

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Source: PR Newswire

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stability-over-salary-67-of-new-graduates-would-take-lower-pay-for-security-302727489.html