2008 Woodie Awards
Job Market Brightens for Class of 2004
Issue date: 11/20/03 Section: News
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BETHLEHEM, PA (NACE)-
As the stock market inches upward and the economy's health shows signs of improvement, employers predict that they'll hire 12.7 percent more new college graduates from the class of 2003-2004 than they did from the class of 2002-2003.
More than half of the employers who answered the Job Outlook survey, conducted annually by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, say they plan to increase the number of new college graduates they hire. About a quarter of employers say they will hire fewer graduates than last year. A fifth of employers say they plan to hire the same number of new grads in spring 2004 as they did in spring 2003.
Almost three out of five employers say they expect the job market for the class of 2003 to be "fair." While hiring is expected to increase for many employers, the job market is not at the point where the number of jobs and candidates are parallel. That means, getting a job won't be as hard as, say, winning the lottery, but just having a diploma isn't your ticket to the executive lunchroom either.
You'll need to research the employers you are interested in, have work force experience to put on your resume, and prepare carefully for the job-search process. You can get help with all three of these steps at [your career center-insert name of office, location, hours, other relevant information].
By sector, the outlook is best among employers from the service industry. Manufacturers are significantly more conservative in their hiring projections. Government and nonprofit organizations plan to cut their hiring by just over 10 percent.
By type of employer, food and beverage processing manufacturers, public accounting firms, and retail/wholesale organizations are most likely to rate the upcoming job market as "good." On the flip side, chemical manufacturers, automotive manufacturers, telecommunications firms, and computer manufacturers are most likely to brand the job market "fair" or "poor."
As the stock market inches upward and the economy's health shows signs of improvement, employers predict that they'll hire 12.7 percent more new college graduates from the class of 2003-2004 than they did from the class of 2002-2003.
More than half of the employers who answered the Job Outlook survey, conducted annually by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, say they plan to increase the number of new college graduates they hire. About a quarter of employers say they will hire fewer graduates than last year. A fifth of employers say they plan to hire the same number of new grads in spring 2004 as they did in spring 2003.
Almost three out of five employers say they expect the job market for the class of 2003 to be "fair." While hiring is expected to increase for many employers, the job market is not at the point where the number of jobs and candidates are parallel. That means, getting a job won't be as hard as, say, winning the lottery, but just having a diploma isn't your ticket to the executive lunchroom either.
You'll need to research the employers you are interested in, have work force experience to put on your resume, and prepare carefully for the job-search process. You can get help with all three of these steps at [your career center-insert name of office, location, hours, other relevant information].
By sector, the outlook is best among employers from the service industry. Manufacturers are significantly more conservative in their hiring projections. Government and nonprofit organizations plan to cut their hiring by just over 10 percent.
By type of employer, food and beverage processing manufacturers, public accounting firms, and retail/wholesale organizations are most likely to rate the upcoming job market as "good." On the flip side, chemical manufacturers, automotive manufacturers, telecommunications firms, and computer manufacturers are most likely to brand the job market "fair" or "poor."