Several job market snapshots indicate the class of 2007 will find a welcoming labor climate as they start their careers.
“It’s a great time to be graduating from college,” said Brian Krueger, president of CollegeGrad.com, a leading online job search firm, based in Cedarburg, Wis., which pegs the volume of available entry level positions at nearly 8 percent above last spring.
“The skills and energy of the class of 2007 are in high demand among employers,” Krueger said.
In its Job Outlook/Spring 2007 survey, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found employers anticipate hiring nearly 20 percent (19.2%) more new college grads than they did last year.
“Employers cited business growth and expansion as reason for the increase in hiring,” said NACE Executive Director Marilyn Mackes. “In addition, many reported plans to put more emphasis on college hiring this year.”
Careerbuilder.com, a national job search Web site, conducted a similar poll and found not only are more grads going to get job offers, many of those offers will come with more money. A whopping 42 percent of hiring managers said they will be offering higher starting salaries.
Of those planning to boost starting pay, 36 percent will offer between $30,000 and $40,000 a year. Sixteen percent will pay between $40,000 and $50,000, while 12 percent will dangle salary offers of more than $50,000.
While those national employment surveys don’t always reflect the economic realities of Buffalo and Western New York, this time around they just might. The New York State Department of Labor last week reported a fourth consecutive month of job growth in the Buffalo Niagara Region, the strongest upward streak since 2004.
Overall, the region saw some 2,000 new jobs, a 0.04 percent rise from April 2006. The insurance and finance sectors saw particularly strength, seeing their job counts swell by 9 percent.
And unemployment dipped from 4.7 percent in March to 4.3 percent last month in Erie County. Niagara County’s jobless rate fell from 5.7 percent to 5.3 percent.
“It’s looking very good for 2007 graduates. The job market is coming back,” said Lisa August, associate director of the Buffalo State College Career Development Center. August said signs point to Western New York employers matching the national indicators of a nearly 20 percent leap in new graduate hires.
“We’re being contacted by employers we haven’t heard from in a while and we’re hearing from new employers. It’s nice to see the economy coming back,” she said.
Carol Cullinan, Medaille College’s director of career planning, was also very upbeat about job prospects for the class of ’07.
“The employment climate is absolutely better. There are many opportunities out there,” Cullinan said.
“We’re seeing more of our graduates not wanting to leave the area. They like the lifestyle and want to be part of the solution and give it a shot,” August said.
A note to parents: Don’t be concerned if your child has a diploma in hand, but not a job offer. College placement experts estimate only one-in-four graduates goes directly from campus to their first real job. But most will have gotten offers worth considering within six months of graduation.
slinstedt@buffnews.com
