EDU in Review News Blog

College Grads Searching for Jobs in a Bad Economy

College graduates are having a harder time finding a job.The Class of 2009 has just graduated college in many states. They have worked hard for about four or five years, spending countless hours in libraries, classes, and review sessions. And now, all of their hard work should start to pay off, in the form of a new career. Unfortunately, for more than 80 percent of recent college graduates, there is not a job offer waiting for them after they walk across that graduation stage.

A recent survey of employers on CareerBuilder.com showed that only 43 percent intended to hire new college graduates this year, compared to 79 percent in 2007. With hundreds of thousands of others graduating this year, it is no wonder that 60 percent of college students polled said they started actively looking for a job during their senior year of college.

“The days of deciding between three or four job offers before you even collect your degree are over, at least for the next year or two,” said job market consultant John Challenger. “You will have to find new ways to get in front of hiring authorities, look where other people are not and be willing to take jobs that most people would avoid.”

This year, the unemployment rate for 20- to 24-year-olds topped 14 percent; it has not been this high in the past 25 years. Also, for those who are lucky enough to land a job in this difficult market, the starting salary has declined by over 3 percent since last year. I can not say that I am shocked that almost 25 percent of seniors are deciding to continue their education into graduate school. That plan of action is sounding more and more appealing to me as this financial recession deepens.

Via Philly.com






15 Responses to “College Grads Searching for Jobs in a Bad Economy”

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    [...] A trend that many have suspected to be on the rise – including college graduates – has been confirmed in a recent survey regarding employment rates among young people. An online survey from PayScale.com conducted between July 2011 and July 2012, showed that 63 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 have a bachelor’s degree, however, are often forced take jobs that don’t require one. [...]

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    [...] College Grads Searching for Jobs in a Bad Economy [...]

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    [...] in the current economic recession. Many students are graduating, and instead of landing a wonderful new job, they are simply keeping their college job. The New York Times reports that less than 20 percent [...]

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    [...] job market is still a dismal place for college graduates. True, the unemployment rate has not risen past ten [...]

  9. Jobs for 14 year olds says:

    Awesome! We were looking for this anywhere!

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    [...] students, they may have to be a bit more patient as they begin their real-world job search in the next few [...]

  11. retired at 24 says:

    Only 25% of companies are hiring. they recieve 500 applications per hour for most jobs. Enjoy the depression!

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