Choosing a college major has always been a big life decision, influenced by not only personal inclinations and talents, but also by starting salaries. In today’s labor market, however—where hiring has slowed, artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, and many once-booming job categories have cooled off—young people should be asking themselves an additional question when selecting a major: How many career paths can I take with my chosen degree?

New LinkedIn data, provided exclusively to Forbes, shows that the key to young professionals successfully navigating today’s uneven job market may depend on whether their degree is flexible enough to land them a job in multiple industries. With overall hiring down 20% from pre-pandemic levels and 5% from last year, LinkedIn analyzed the 20 most common majors on their platform among recent bachelor degree graduates and looked at two factors: hiring conditions in the industries most traditionally related to a major and versatility to pivot to other industries.

According to the data, engineering graduates, who likely thought they’d picked a safe and lucrative major, not only face a weak hiring market, but also have more specialized skills that aren’t as versatile or as useful in as many industries. Meanwhile, professionals with social sciences and humanities degrees are in a “sweet spot,” said LinkedIn’s Head of Economics, Americas, Kory Kantenga, because even if they can’t find a job in their desired field, over 60% have been able to find work in other industries despite today’s low-hire market.

He points to English majors as a specific example, where 69% have found jobs outside of their traditional industries.........

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