"Compared to" vs "Than"

[firsttimer]

1) As a result, this generation of undergraduates seems to have a much difficult time finding work than those undergraduates graduated ten years ago.

2) As a result, this generation of undergraduates seems to have a much difficult time finding work compared to undergraduates who graduated ten years ago.

Are both sentence correct?

Should I use than or compared to or other alternatives?

 

[Rover_KE]

1) As a result, this generation of undergraduates seems to have a much more difficult time finding work than those (undergraduates) who graduated ten years ago.

2) As a result, this generation of undergraduates seems to have a much more difficult time finding work compared to those (undergraduates) who graduated ten years ago.

Welcome to the forums, firsttimer.:-D

There's no difference between them. I would avoid the repetition of 'undergraduates' by omitting the words in brackets.

Some may argue that 'this generation...seems...' should be followed by '...than that (generation) which...', but it doesn't matter to me.

Rover