About 83 per cent of engineering school graduates, as well as 46 per cent of business school graduates in India do not have a job or internship offer, reveals a recently published report
This report, the recent Unstop Talent Report 2025, was published by Unstop, the community engagement and hiring platform for students and graduates.
The findings are based on answers collected from 30,000 young professionals from Generation Z, or Gen Z, and 700 Human Relations heads, Forbes reports.
According to the report, a whopping 51 per cent of Gen Z professionals are looking for multiple income sources by seeking side hustles and freelancing opportunities. This number is significantly on the rise among business graduates, the report says.
Moreover, one in four candidates finished unpaid internships in 2025, which is an increase from the one-in-eight figure reported in 2023. This indicates that candidates are ready to seek work for industry experience, even if it comes without pay.
According to Business Standard, the report also exposes glaring pay gaps based on gender. While 2 in 3 female graduates from arts and science streams earn annual packages below Rs 6 lakh, their male counterparts have packages that surpass this mark.
This disparity is absent among business and engineering graduates, with them receiving fair compensation regardless of the candidate's gender.
In a significant shift in hiring procedures, 73 per cent of recruiters are now valuing talent and skills over the traditional prestige of elite college degrees.
This shift towards skill-based hiring is viewed as a response to the changing demands of the workforce. Many companies are now increasingly looking for candidates with practical skills and abilities rather than relying on just their educational backgrounds.
Employee preferences have also changed significantly, with 77 per cent preferring monthly or project-based reviews over traditional annual performance evaluations. This need for more regular and detailed input indicates the need for more dynamic and responsive work settings, Times of India reports.
Furthermore, 70 per cent of Gen Z candidates participate in novel hiring processes such as case studies, idea-thons, and simulations.
This is where recruiters and candidates see a mismatch in hiring and performance evaluations, with just 25 per cent of HR heads believing finding these practices essential to their hiring process.
The findings, therefore, suggest that the disconnect between the expectations of Gen Z graduates and professionals and the larger job market remains vast despite high demand for skilled professionals across companies and industries.
These gaps are what lead to many candidates struggling to land their first jobs and begin their professional lives.
