The Entry-Level Gap

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

April 13, 2026

One of the most pressing issues before the business community is the alignment and ever-evolving realignment of the skills and preparation needed in the workforce to meet employer needs. This is a monumental task that includes the coordinated articulation of employer hiring requirements across and within industries, and the alignment of the often disconnected channels used to prepare our workforce.

A story out this morning on Bloomberg, “Why More College Graduates Are Stuck in Jobs That Don’t Require Degrees,” summarizes the issues well. “Meet today’s growing class of underemployed college graduates, the term economists use to describe young people stuck in a job that doesn’t require the degree they earned. They made up almost 43% of U.S. graduates age 22 to 27 as of December 2025, up more than 3 percentage points for the year and the highest rate since the pandemic, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.”

These issues, however, are not limited to colleges and universities. We need greater alignment within high schools and from adult education and training providers as well. “Take health care, a bright spot with nearly 1.9 million entry-level job openings in 2024. College completions for health-related programs grew just 5% from 2014 to 2024, while other fields saw double- or even triple-digit increases, according to Lightcast data.”

To better engage in these important issues, consider attending our upcoming Navigating Delaware Pathways Summit on April 28th or engaging with our Delaware State Chamber Foundation as we take on projects that address these issues head-on.

News You Can Use

We start the week this morning with existing home sales data from March, followed on Tuesday by the NFIB optimism index for March, the Producer Price Index for March, and a panel discussion by regional Fed presidents, including Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson, on our rural economy. Import prices for March lead the day on Wednesday, along with the homebuilder confidence index. The Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey is released on Thursday, along with March industrial production figures. We wrap up on Friday with various regional Fed president presentations.

Goldman Sachs leads off the week of earnings calls today, followed on Tuesday by Albertsons, BlackRock, CarMax, Citigroup, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. Bank of America, M&T Bank, Morgan Stanley, PNC Financial Services, and Progressive Corporation are part of the Wednesday lineup. PepsiCo, Abbott Laboratories, BNY Mellon, Citizens Financial Group, Marsh McLennan, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Travelers Companies, U.S. Bancorp, Netflix, Alcoa, Ally Financial, Regions Financial, and Truist Financial are among the scheduled calls for Thursday and Friday.

Michael J. Quaranta

President

Delaware State Chamber of Commerce

Uniquely Delaware

January 2026 Monthly

Labor Review

January’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 5.4%, marking its highest level since August 2021. Annual revisions to previously published data indicate that Delaware’s total seasonally adjusted nonfarm average annual employment was higher than originally estimated, increasing by 2,400 jobs in 2024 and 1,900 jobs in 2025. Read more >

For more than 100 years, Goodwill has been providing job training and placement programs to people with barriers to self-sufficiency. Through the revenue generated through Goodwill's retail stores and other businesses, they are able to offer innovative programs to meet the current needs of the workforce.

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