Job market hires for college graduates up 13.5 percent from February to April

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More businesses are hiring recent college graduates across all fields, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Survey results show hiring is up 13.5 percent, based on 31,470 students from more than 400 colleges and universities nationwide surveyed between Feb. 9 and April 30.

“All places of work are starting to become business ready and they’re looking to start hiring,” said Ed Koc, NACE director of strategic and foundation research. “There is a search for a larger workforce to take over for the baby boomers’ work. Numbers are looking good and it’s positive around recruiting season.”

Degrees in accounting, business, computer science, engineering and social sciences were most likely to have job offers by graduation. More than 40 percent of the responding seniors in each of these categories received job offers before graduating, according to the NACE survey.

“This is really good news, especially with how the economy has been,” said Birmingham senior Ashley Wasniewski. “There is so much relief for when I look for a job.”

Koc thinks enthusiasm from people like Wasniewski will translate into higher attendance at career fairs.

There was a large decline in job fair attendance in fall 2009, along with a decline in job recruitment, Koc said.

“The depression of jobs created a negative outlook for students causing them to be missing from job fairs,” Koc said. “With the projected growth students need to start coming back out to job fairs due to better prospects and increasing involvement because of job and economy improvements.

“The more the students participate and become more aggressive towards the job market it will show the employers how confident and ready they are.”

The classes of 2008 and 2009 struggled to find jobs, Koc said. Future graduating classes need to see the projected growth and change their outlook.

Student reaction should vary since it’s such a unique episode in the job search arena, said Vivian Como, assistant director for Central Michigan University Career Services.

Over the past few years, she said students have become discouraged with their job search efforts and this information could re-invigorate their searches.

“This is very encouraging news,” Como said. “It might be some of the most encouraging news for college graduates for the past two years.”