Recruiting Trends, 2010-2011. 40th Anniversary Edition
Author: Gardner, Phil
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Majors (Students),Salaries,Personnel Selection,Labor Market,College Graduates,Intellectual Disciplines,Nonprofit Organizations,Computer Science,Occupational Surveys,Recruitment,Trend Analysis,Employment Patterns,Economic Climate,Demand Occupations,Employment Opportunities,National Surveys,Employment,Employment Qualifications,Small Businesses,Internship Programs,Corporations

This paper presents the recruiting trends for 2010-2011. This year's report is based on nearly 5,800 respondents, of which approximately 4,600 provided useable information, and 3,714 included complete hiring figures used for the projections. Despite the gloomy national labor market situation, the college segment of the market is poised to rebound this year. While overall hiring across all degrees is expected to increase 3%, hiring at the Bachelor's level is expected to surge by 10% according to the 4,600 employers who responded to Michigan State University's "Recruiting Trends 2010-2011" survey. Led by upturns in hiring in manufacturing, professional and scientific services, the federal government, and large commercial banks, the Bachelor's market will enjoy its first expansion in two years. With this good news comes a word of caution. This step is the first out of a deep hole; yet, many organizations are still not in a position to contribute positively to hiring. The average figures reported above mask what is actually happening in the college job market. In fact, college hiring growth is being generated by only a small group of organizations (approximately 350 to 400) who have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. This group is comprised of two highly optimistic cohorts: (1) Large companies who are aggressively filling positions that have been open for several years; and (2) Fast growth and small companies who are creating new positions. The MBA market, which is also awakening, paints a very different picture. An equal number of employers are decreasing as are increasing their hiring. Fortunately, employers who are expanding their MBA workforce more than offset the cuts being made by other companies. This market segment will remain tight as the supply of graduating MBA students is high. Nearly 40% of employers indicate that they will seek candidates from across "all majors," focusing more on the skills and abilities needed in the organization than the academic discipline. "All majors" is not a proxy for the liberal arts but a signal that employers are seeking the best talent regardless of major. Business majors will be the strongest discipline in this market with the rebound of accounting hires. Engineering appears sluggish with the exception of computer science and IT students whose market is exploding this year. Some majors will see fewer opportunities, including construction, law, publishing, nursing, social services, and health sciences in general. Salaries have dropped precipitously in the last two years, from $46,500 in 2008-2009 (at the Bachelor's level) to $36,866 this year, a decline of almost $10,000. This drop cannot be taken at face value because there are several possible factors at play. Since the "2008-2009 Recruiting Trends" study, the sample size has grown exponentially, creating a new baseline for salary information. The decline in the reported average is influenced by the volume of small, mid-sized and nonprofit organizations that traditionally have more modest salary offers. The lack of a stronger upward movement in engineering recruiting also may have had an effect. Still, it is apparent that salaries have stagnated during the last two years. The best recruiting strategies still depend on connections between faculty, students, career services professionals, alumni and hiring staff in organizations. Clearly, career services professionals are challenged to play more of an "agent" role to make these connections happen. [Funding for this paper was provided by ArcelorMittal, Cummins, Mercer, and Whirlpool. For "Recruiting Trends, 2009-2010," see ED512839.]