Hiring Outlook Improves For Class Of 2011

According to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the job outlook for college graduates next year is practically rosy.

Employers in the Midwest and the West will see the biggest increase in hiring, NACE's Job Outlook 2011 predicts. On average, employers will hire 13.5 percent more graduates than in 2010.

NACE Executive Director Marilyn Mackes said that many employers will recruit and hire in the fall. "Employers typically try to hire their top choice candidates early," she said.

How are your job prospects looking? Let us know below.

Comments

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

09:51 AM on 09/21/2010

I got to admit it's getting better, it's getting better all the time (it can't get no worse)

[grlbhvingbadly]

09:01 AM on 09/21/2010

I'm grateful that I was able to go to college and get my degree -- but I feel as if I wasted all my time in money majoring in something I was passionate about (int'l relations/poli sci/Mandarin). I wish I weren't so horrible at math -- I would have picked engineering.

[ThatsTheTheWayItIs]

09:57 AM on 09/21/2010

Everyone disagrees with me on this, but I tell the young: find something that you are good at, and that will allow you to make a decent living. You will get respect - the more you are paid the greater that respect. And you will like any job that provides security and respect.

I'm fortunately a math genius, was a computer programmer who quit at 25 to do what I like, to be a musician. I discovered it's a lousy job. Not just bad pay, but no respect. Gave up and went back to software engineering, played music as a hobby. Best choice I ever made.

[AJ in ATL]

08:47 AM on 09/21/2010

Anyone who's had a basic stats class will know by looking at the sample sizes for each area, the confidence interval is just not there to make those statements about a more positive hiring outlook to be valid. Considering there are 1000's of companies in each area, the number of respondents would need to be at least 10x-20x what is shown for the study to even being to give a hint of a more optimistic outlook. I would also be curious to have it broken down by profession as certain careers are going to be hiring more than other ones. I do hope however that the article is correct as this economy is not helping one iota to the job hunting atmosphere.

[DSOTM]

07:04 AM on 09/21/2010

Yeah right, lets see what May 2011 looks like.

[farmerlady]

06:54 AM on 09/21/2010

These jobs will either be in specialized high tech fields or service jobs you don't need a college degree to do (but hey, employed is employed, right? Be grateful!)

Those who have connections and a network from which to get the inside scoop on job openings will find something. This situation will reflect what is more typical in poor countries--"It's not what you know, it's who you know". Many job openings will not be posted because of this. As people struggle to keep their own families above water, nepotism and influence peddling will become more obvious and entrenched.

In other words, the situation is very dark.....a few thousand more job openings in precise fields will not help. We need millions of openings across industries. My nephew and niece are both shelving books in a store and count themselves VERY lucky. I ask when did you need four years of college to take inventory in a bookstore? But that's the reality these days.

[Trittydi]

02:07 AM on 09/21/2010

I tried to share this article on facebook, but huffpost stuck an advertisement on it so I deleted it.

My facebook page is not a billboard for their advertisers.
*

[Cali Saracen]

01:30 AM on 09/21/2010

Hello 2010 electrical engineer 0 jobs in Cal searching, went back to grad school for an MS

[AJ in ATL]

08:50 AM on 09/21/2010

Did you limit yourself to Cali only? There are tons of companies looking for electrical engineers as engineering is a career field that is creating jobs. I know this as I'm an industrial engineer and it took a while to find my first one. You do however need to be flexible and willing to relocate starting out as it's experience that your really looking for and 3-5 years after getting that first job you can dictate where you want to live.

[Cali Saracen]

09:39 PM on 09/21/2010

No, I applied all over. Still looking but really outlooks very dim. I graduated with cum laude and still poof

[1110Awaits]

01:24 AM on 09/21/2010

Not in my industry. I don't need button-pushers. I need engineers. But, I guess poli-sci and liberal arts and mass media are important for some things.

[AJ in ATL]

08:52 AM on 09/21/2010

Engineers and health professionals are the areas people should be going into as these are where the jobs are at. We have had a brain drain going on in this country for so many years it's showing as this re-alignment of the workforce occurs. You are right in that we need more engineers (being one myself) if we hope to compete with other countries as these are the people who find ways to make things better, cheaper, faster, and more efficient.

[Op2mystic1]

08:57 AM on 09/21/2010

All aspects of the medical field and engineering.

[31Blue]

01:08 AM on 09/21/2010

According to people I talk to the job market is a disaster.

[hey0there]

12:51 AM on 09/21/2010

I really hope it's true, but I've lost faith in our educational system which seems geared more towards providing an 'entertainment'-based college experience that turns out liberal activists than a serious concerted effort to produce graduates with skills that can be useful to companies.

[pdxist]

01:21 AM on 09/21/2010

Which degrees do you think are degrees in liberal activism? The #1 most popular major is Business Administration, according to Princeton Review.

[Sepulchre]

08:08 AM on 09/21/2010

So hard sciences are entertainment based witn no skills useful for companies? Really?

[pdxist]

12:43 AM on 09/21/2010

Someone's hacked in and posted something non-negative about the economy. How to I alert their tech team?

[LoudandProud10]

12:36 AM on 09/21/2010

Not around here it isn't.

Or if it has, it is only slightly less terrible than it was. Things are still really difficult in the job market.

[stringer]

11:58 PM on 09/20/2010

Yeah this is going to get ugly if the classes of 2004-2010 are somehow screwed out of this.

They're the ones who were told to wait until the Boomers retired, who had to listen to the constant kvetching about their refusal to adjust to the workplace when they had jobs, who watched the economy tank, lost their jobs, and moved back home. Oh yeah and then they got a New York Times Op-Ed written kvetching even more about them.

[noweknow]

11:27 PM on 09/20/2010

But will students buy this propaganda?

[kyeshinka]

11:59 PM on 09/20/2010

I would hope younger people are more jaded and cynical than everyone else.

[LoudandProud10]

12:37 AM on 09/21/2010

If they are gullible they might.

[Hawkeye17]

10:41 PM on 09/20/2010

Well I guess McDonald's is still expanding despite this bad economy......

[Michael Mouton]

10:51 PM on 09/20/2010

It's customers' waistlines are expanding as well! Zing!