Publication Date
2026
Presentation Length
15 minutes
College
Jack C. Massey College of Business
Department
Economics and Finance
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Colin Cannonier
Metadata/Fulltext
Fulltext
Presentation Type
Talk/Oral
Summary
The United States job market has become a growing concern for graduating college students over the last decade. With rising unemployment, increased competition, and the rise of generative AI technology over the last five years, more students than ever are genuinely concerned that they will be unable to find long-term employment after graduation. In this paper, we will analyze the correlation between United States interest rates and entry-level employment growth, with the goal of contributing new and actionable information to help graduating college students plan for the future. We will be using data from IPUMS and FRED, spanning January 2009–December 2019.
To establish a correlation between our two variables, we plan to use a logit regression analysis. This cross-sectional approach will allow us to estimate the likelihood of a graduate securing a job as a function of the Federal Funds Effective Rate at the time of their entry. We believe that this method will be effective for gauging the effect that interest rates have on entry-level employment.
Recommended Citation
Logan, Stiles B.; Joseph, Marc; Hilburn, Dylan; Baker, Hayden; and Patel, Krisha, "How Interest Rates Influence Entry Level Employment Growth for Undergraduate Economics Students" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 872.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/872
