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Job Outlook for Recent Grads Continues to Suffer

Job Outlook for Recent Grads Continues to Suffer
11/17/2009
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Scholarships.com Staff

Current undergraduate students who are looking towards employment after graduation, as well as graduate students hoping to ride out the recession before beginning their job search may want to make note of survey results just released by Michigan State University's Collegiate Employment Research Institute.  The survey focused on job prospects for new college graduates at 2,500 businesses nationwide, and the numbers don't look good.  Things were even worse than anticipated for the classes of 2008 and 2009, with the job demand for college graduates dropping 40 percent in the past year, far exceeding initial projections of declines in hiring of 8 to 10 percent, and they aren't expected to soon get better.

Hiring of new college graduates is expected to remain low, with overall figures dropping another 2 percent in 2010, with mid-size and large businesses anticipating continued reductions. However, some sectors are starting to show growth, though none can yet be described as booming. Smaller companies, especially, are expecting to hire more recent college graduates: approximately 15 percent more than last year. New graduates looking for jobs will also have better luck in the west than the east.

The types of businesses that are most likely to hire new graduates in the coming months include web design, e-commerce, information systems, nonprofits, statistics, nursing, social work, environmental sciences, manufacturing, agriculture production and food processing. Accounting, banking, and real-estate will continue to be poor bets, along with engineering, transportation, utilities, computer science and computer programming. Education is also likely to continue to suffer without federal stimulus money supporting K-12 teaching, and non-academic university jobs are likely to be scarce.

The Michigan State University researchers who conducted the survey warn that many of these shifts in hiring appear permanent, or at least long-lasting. College graduates will have to continue to compete fiercely for fewer jobs with lower starting salaries for years to come. To improve their chances at landing a job right out of college, students will want to demonstrate their flexibility and critical thinking skills, according to the report. Taking rigorous classes and participating in internship and independent study opportunities can help.

Students who want to be more competitive or who are struggling to find work may also want to consider graduate or professional programs, or other alternatives to employment. These can develop and showcase your thinking, research, and analysis skills, as well as provide advanced training and work experience directly relevant to your intended profession.

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