The Leader

Issue date: 4/26/06 Section: News

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The college graduates of 2006 should see an increase in entry-level jobs this spring and summer, according to survey results by CareerBuilder.com and MonsterTRAK.com.

Both surveys found that approximately 70 percent of hiring managers plan to seek out 2006 graduates this spring or summer. Also, 37 percent of companies expect to recruit more entry-level applicants than they did in 2005.

Thomas Bachhuber, director of the Career Development Center (CDC), works with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and according to them, the job market for 2006 graduates is up 14.5 percent.

MonsterTRAK's survey findings reveal that most entry-level salaries will remain consistent; infact, 67 percent of employers said that earnings will not increase over the 2005 wages. CareerBuilder's survey, on the other hand, found that 37 percent of hiring managers are anticipating greater salaries for recent college graduates.

"It's my own view from talking to employers that salaries are staying the same," Bachhuber said. "We don't see any major differences."

Bachhuber said that while these increased hiring figures are good news, it is still speculative, since using websites to find jobs is a very limited way of job hunting. He said the figures gathered by these websites are only projections.

The most abundant entry-level job opportunities are in California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to MonsterTRAK. The most in-demand positions are in sales, accounting, customer service, healthcare, education, and administrative and support services, both surveys found.

In Milwaukee, the job market is also increasing. Employers in the Milwaukee area are able to contact the CDC when they are looking to hire recent graduates. Bachhuber said that so far this year, 75 employers interested in hiring UWM graduates have come to the CDC-compared to last year's 63-and are signed up for the CDC's job fair, Just in Time, which will take place in May.

Bachhuber said the reasons for the increase in jobs this year could be due to the economy being generally strong, baby boomers retiring and people entering the third age of their lives in which they want to change their careers.

Graduates looking for a job need to realize that they have their own personal job markets, Bachhuber said. This includes knowing exactly what they want to do, making a network for themselves and asking good questions to people involved in the field they want to get into.

"You need to have a goal, get specific and articulate about the kind of job you want," Bachhuber said. "Once you've done that, the next phase is much easier."

Overall, Bachhuber said that the job market is encouraging for 2006 graduates. Perhaps even more encouraging is the fact that six to nine months after graduation, 91 percent of UWM's 2004 graduating class were employed in either full or part-time positions. Eighty-two percent of them were satisfied or very satisfied with their positions.

This information, and the statistics gathered by CareerBuilder and MonsterTRAK, are what Bachhuber calls the "20,000 foot view" of the job market, which means that there many other pieces to the puzzle of the job hunting process.

FACTS

72% of employers plan to hire 2006 graduates in spring or summer

55% of companies expect to hire Generation Y employees to compensate for shifting baby boomers

82% of students expect to receive at least one job offer after graduation... 64% expect to receive at least two

More than 50% of employers offer internship programs

56% of 2006 graduates have completed one or more internships in college

monstertrak

- 78% of students said that undergraduate experience has helped prepare them for the working world

- 48% of 2006 graduates are expecting to move home after graduation

 

- 34% of hiring managers expect to offer between $20,000 and $30,000

- 28% expect to offer between $30,000 and $40,000

- 10% will offer between $40,000 and $50,000

- 7% will offer more than $50,000

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