David Handschuh/New York Daily News
With the economy brightening, so are the prospects for entry-level job seekers with college degrees.
Listen up, Class of 2012! Your shot at nailing a job is better than you think.
With the economy brightening, so are the prospects for entry-level job seekers with college degrees, according to a new survey from global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
The countrys 1.7 million grads will benefit as companies look to rebuild after hacking away at workers during the recession.
Its a better year, Challenger, Gray & Ch ristmas CEO John Challenger told the Daily News. The job market has been improving. Young job-seekers with four-year degrees are in growing demand.
Of course, its still a highly competitive marketplace and the gains will be slight. Entry-level hiring is still way below prerecession levels.
Employers plan to increase hiring of spring graduates by 10, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Last year, employers said hiring would be up 21.
This years grads should expect to face off against those who got their degree within the last few years and who may have sat out the job market during the downturn but now are back in the hunt.
The most sought-after fields include accounting and finance, engineering, computer science, sales and marketing, education and social services.
But those who trained to be economists, editors and aerospace engineers could be out of luck as opportunities in those fields are dwindling.
Desirable degrees mean good salaries, too. The median pay for accountants and auditors in 2010 ranged from $ 55,000 to $ 75,000. Civil engineers earned $ 75,000- plus.
The private sector averaged 248,000 new payroll jobs from last December through February, though it dropped to just 121,000 new jobs in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While the pace of hiring has been up and down throughout the recovery, every month since February 2010 has yielded positive job growth, for a total of 4,051,000 new jobs.
And as jobs were added, those ages 20 to 24 saw some of the biggest gains.
Challenger advised grads to be willing to relocate for a job and to keep their searches broad.
The key is to avoid setting too many limitations, he said. Just because you studied accounting does not mean you have to work in an accounting firm. Look outside your comfort zone.
Take advantage of every connection yo u have, including friends of your parents.
Its not something to shun. It gets you in the door, he said. Go ask for peoples advice. Go meet people in different lines of work.
While it would be tempting to take the summer off, dont delay your job search.
Get at it now, Challenger advised. Dont take a summer vacation.
pfurman@nydailynews.com
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