Some US employers are reluctant to hire Gen Z new college graduates, according to a new survey by Intelligent.com, a website that provides research to help students make decisions about higher education programs.

The survey found that 39% of employers said they avoid hiring college grads in favor of older candidates.

Employers cited a number of concerns, but Covid-19 may be to blame.

“Employers need to recognize that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, young people graduating from college had more than two years of disruption in their education as well as their social and professional development,” Diane Gayeski, professor of strategic communications at Ithaca College said in a press release. “Current seniors were in their freshman year at the height of Covid. They likely took classes online and were unable to participate in clubs, internships or summer jobs.”

What are the concerns with the recent grads? Intelligent.com’s survey found 53% of employers said recent college graduates struggled with eye contact, 50% reported requests for unreasonable compensation and 47% observed inappropriate dressing. In addition, employers noted some recent college graduates used inappropriate language, refused to turn on their cameras during a virtual interview and brought a parent to their interview.

There were other concerns as well:

• Among employers who have worked with recent college graduates, 63% believe they can’t manage the workload, 61% noted they are late to start work and 59% reported delayed assignments.
• Additionally, 63% of employers perceive recent college graduates as entitled, 58% believe they get offended too easily and 57% feel they are unprepared for the workforce.

Respondents reported increasing benefits to attract older workers, paying higher salaries, allowing remote work and hiring older workers for positions for which they are overqualified.

The survey includes responses from 800 managers, directors and executives involved in hiring decisions. It was conducted on Dec. 7 by the survey platform Pollfish and commissioned by Intelligent.com.