A new study has been released showing that high jobless rates in major cities across the country may correspond to poor education. Another factor revealed showed that cities hit hard by the housing crisis have larger gaps between workers’ actual education and the required education level of most job listings.

The study was conducted by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Calculations were completed by senior research associate Jonathan Rothwell, and included online jobs posted between 2006 and 2012.

Rothwell looked at the average number of years required for jobs in 100 metro areas and compared that with the education level of those respective populations. The most narrow education gaps were found in locations with highly-skilled workers such as Raleigh, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. – both boasting gaps of 2 percent or less.

“Narrowing the education gap is particularly important for improving the long-term health of metropolitan economies,” Rothwell told Forbes in a recent interview. “Metro areas with wide education gaps have higher unemployment, but metro areas with narrow education gaps have lower unemployment, more job creation and more job openings.” Read the rest of this entry »

Want job security? Then you may want to consider the following majors: engineering, science, education and healthcare.

A recent report by Georgetown University revealed that if you want to land a job fresh out of college, you have to major in a field that is linked to these fastest growing industries. The study by Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce also reported which majors are failing degree holders.

Architecture grads, for instance, have the highest unemployment rate of their peers. They’ll have to tackle figures of about 13.9 percent due to the decline in housing construction.

The survey also revealed that grads with non-technical degrees are facing tough unemployment rates. Those who majored in the arts have an 11.1 percent unemployment rate. While those with degrees in the social sciences have a rate of 8.9 percent.

Futures look grim for some of those students who want to study their passions in college. “People keep telling kids to study what they love — but some loves are worth more than others,” said one of the study’s authors, Anthony P. Carnevale.

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At a time when high unemployment coincides with an all-time high in student debt, it’s unsurprising that students are an important demographic at the Occupy Wall Street (#OWS) protests. According to the New York Times, over 20 percent of recent college graduates are unemployed, and of those who do have jobs nearly a third have positions that do not require a college degree. These conditions are symptoms of an ailing economy, which the protesters argue has been exacerbated–if not caused–by Wall Street institutions. Some have remarked that #OWS has galvanized young people more effectively than existing labor unions, perhaps due to the inclusive nature of the protests and its anti-leadership mentality.

On Wednesday October 5th, a major walk-out joined students with other protesters at Foley Square, followed by a march to Zuccotti park, often referred to by its former name, Liberty Square. The demonstration attracted students of all ages from a diverse range of institutions. High school students from around the city marched side-by-side with college students from the CUNY and SUNY systems, Columbia University, The New School, New York University, Cooper Union and many others.

The coordination of campuses across the city with major labor unions was not only an important moment for students expressing solidarity with each other, but also for the #OWS movement as a whole. Students at all levels have found institutional support from teachers unions and university professors. The United Federation of Teachers is supporting the movement, along with other major union groups. According to The Occupied Wall Street Journal, a crowd-funded newspaper, 137 faculty members marched from The New School alone.

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The state of the U.S. economy has left a substantial number of people without work and a very bleak outlook for the future. These difficult times have also caused many people to go back to school to earn a higher level of education. Reflecting on these times, people often think the higher their education level, the better their chances of gaining employment when the economy starts to bounce back. Some also think that if they are more educated, that might help stave off unemployment in the future. Something that many don’t consider during these times is how many people of high level education might be forced to do jobs they are overqualified for just to find work. Read the rest of this entry »

Although much media attention has been paid to statistics showing the value of a college degree is on the rise, recent college grads are still struggling with unemployment or inappropriate employment. Reports show that workers with a college education fared better during the economic crisis, this was found to be particularly true of people over thirty and professional women. However, this has not been the case for those with degrees under the age of 25.

Recent college grads are facing underemployment  or “malemployment,” meaning that they are working at jobs that do not require a college degree.  Professor of Economics at Northeastern University Andrew Sum estimates that during the first half of 2010, more than 50 percent of young B.A.-holders were employed at jobs not requiring a college degree.

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The job market is struggling. The national unemployment rate has been hovering around ten percent for months. However, a new study shows one way you can increase your chances of getting a job: Higher education.

According to USCollegeSearch.com, the higher degree of education a person has, the lower his or her chances of being unemployed become. Also, people with higher levels of education can expect a higher salary level. 

Let’s break it down:

Less than a High School Diploma: The average person who has not earned their high school diploma can expect a salary level of $426, and an unemployment rate of nine percent.

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The economy grew at a 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter, the best showing in two years, fueled by government-supported spending on cars and homes. It’s the strongest signal yet that the economy has entered a new, though fragile, phase of recovery and that the worst recession since the 1930s has ended, according to the Associated Press.

While the economy still has a very rocky and upward hill to climb before it reaches a more solid footing, these new statistics just released by the Commerce Department offer a beacon of hope for Americans, but for graduating college students, they may have to be a bit more patient as they begin their real-world job search in the next few months.

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The Class of 2009 knows that finding a job in this market will be a difficult task. They have been watching the job market disintegrate since the U.S. entered the recession.

According to a new study by the National Association of College and Employers, fewer than one in five graduates who are looking for jobs have found one; employers are planning to hire 22 percent fewer graduates than they did in 2008. This is very discouraging news, and explains in part why fewer students are actively seeking jobs. This time last year, 67 percent of college grads had begun looking for a job. This year, only 59 percent have even begun looking.

“Whether they’ve decided to delay their careers because of the economy or don’t realize how tough the job market is, fewer grads have started job hunting,” said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager at NACE. Read the rest of this entry »

The recession is hitting college graduates hard. Around 14 percent of recent grads aged 20-24 are currently unemployed. This makes being able to financially support themselves very difficult, if not impossible. So, how can an unemployed college graduate save a few hundred dollars every month? Move back in with mom and dad. However, many recent graduates are finding this option less and less appealing.

Brooke Chrzan, a graduate of The University of New Hampshire, says that living with her parents after being independent in college is “worse than when [she] was a teenager.” Brooke feels her parents treat her “like [she is] 14 again.” Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »