Total employment is projected to increase by 18.6 million jobs in the next few years, rising from 132.4 million jobs in 1996 to 150.9 million in 2006, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics economist George T. Silvestri. But jobs in the latter category will have many more openings because of net replacement needs rather than to employment growth. The economy will continue generating jobs for workers at all levels of education and training, though average growth is projected to be greater for detailed occupations requiring at least an associate s degree than for occupations requiring less training. And fields requiring less formal education or training are projected to have above-average growth as well. In addition, hiring bonuses for recent grads will become more common.
Campus recruitment is once again a hot market.
In September, for example, the Purdue Engineering Student Council's Industrial Round Table one of the nation's largest student-run job fairs played host to more than 280 companies and some 1,000 recruiters. Last year alone, recruiters scheduled more than 2,000 interviews with 268 students the average student interviewed 7.5 times. What the new job growth for engineers opens up is a chance to change the concept of the workplace, and some companies have been instrumental in that redefining. Firms such as Price Waterhouse and Arthur Anderson have upped the ante be creating a new and rapidly growing class the engineering consultant. Combined, the two companies hire more than 1,500 engineering graduates each year, farming them out to smaller companies that can't afford permanent staffs.