Though layoffs are mounting nationwide, hiring of the latest crop of college graduates is still on the rise, according to fall and spring surveys by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The spring survey just completed showed employers expect to hire 19 percent more college grads than they did a year ago. Still, that figure is down from the 24 percent increase that employers anticipated last fall. But when you look at the big picture, employers are still in a growth cycle.
Unemployment is low.
A liberal arts major is not the kiss of death, however. No. 5 among the top five majors they sought in college graduates, according to a fall 2000 survey by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University. The first wave of baby boomers hits age 55 this year and could begin to take early retirement. If not, companies engaged in succession planning may hold off hiring, he said. This spring, college counselors are advising students to expect longer job searches and not to wait until they graduate to begin.