Ashton Corsey knew the job market would be competitive, but he got a fuller picture at a recruitment fair last fall in Washington, D.C. The Prairie View A&M University senior looked around the room and realized he was one of 600 students, all vying for the same roles.
“Seeing the amount of people that are there … it’s kind of overwhelming,” Corsey said. “It’s like, how am I gonna stand out?”
He applied for more than 50 jobs and eventually landed one as a business analyst in Colorado, but some of his Houston-area peers may not have the same success. This month, the class of 2026 is entering one of the toughest job markets the country has seen in years. Global uncertainty caused many companies to pause or limit hiring in 2025, and openings are only now starting to pick up…