(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
by Jim Brown
It may be another sluggish year for new college graduates seeking employment opportunities.
According to a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies intend to cut back on their hiring of college grads this year by almost 4%. NACE's Camille Luckenbaugh says considering the fact that employers cut back on hiring last year as well, college grads will likely have a tough time landing jobs across the country — except in one region.
“The Midwest is actually the one region that is actually projecting an increase in their hiring,” Luckenbaugh says. “Employers in that region told us that they expect to increase their hiring by 11.2%. Next in line would be the South, where they plan to decrease their hiring but a little bit under the national [average] — they're looking at a decrease of 1.5%. And then the Northeast and the West are above the national average.”
Luckenbaugh says due to the poor economy, employers just do not have enough positions to offer new graduates. Still, the employment information manager offers some advice for upcoming college graduates who are looking to make a quick transition into the workplace.
“One of the best ways is to have an internship or a co-op done before you get out of school — or really any type of relevant work experience,” she says. “It's one of the things that employers look for in a candidate, and it really gives the candidate a wonderful opportunity to kind of step into the business world a little bit at a time, see what it's like — it really helps to make that transition a lot smoother in the end.”
Luckenbaugh recommends that new college grads work closely with career services offices to determine if they are in a field where they should pursue an advanced degree or test the job market.
The NACE regularly conducts surveys on projected hiring, and plans to release an update later this fall of employers' 2002-2003 hiring intentions.
