By William Coffman, Staff Writer
Hundreds of students and employers flooded Cintas last week as part of Xavier’s semi-annual Career Fair.
The career fair comes at a time when uncertainty in the job market seems universal among college students. For much of the 2020s, the job market has reflected a sense of chaos, in response to issues like the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in AI use.
Fortune interviewed Nicole Bachaud, a labor economist for ZipRecruiter, who spoke about why the job market seems so tough these days.
“For new entrants, it’s a ‘locked-out market,’ thanks to stalled hiring and delayed retirements,” Bachaud said.
Xavier runs the career fair every semester to introduce students to local employers. Cincinnati boasts an impressive list of companies, including several Fortune 500 corporations. Some notable names in the Cincinnati business world include Fifth Third Bank and GE Aerospace.
Many majors at Xavier require an internship or form of experiential learning, so the career fair gives those students a chance to learn what internships might be available to them.
“In my opinion, this was a very strong career fair. There were a lot of variety in firms and companies offering a wealth of experience. It made me less worried about the job market due to how many offers are on the table following the career fair,” senior marketing major Dakota Brooks said.
One of the few areas where work seems to be available is healthcare.
According to an article by CNN, a couple of reasons were listed as to why healthcare seems like a lone bright spot in a bleak job market.
“The healthcare sector has remained robust since demand for workers keeps rising as the population ages — and also because many services can’t easily be automated,” CNN reported.
Though healthcare fields may have roles available, for many other careers, this current job market seems especially bleak for college students.
The career fair combatted concerns about the job market for Xavier students with a plethora of options made available to them all in one place. What will matter next is the number of offers these students will receive.


