Job Forecast Good For College Grads

A positive economy means more jobs for college students. <br/><br/>Experts say employers plan to hire 15 percent more college graduates this year than last and some jobs are growing faster than others.

Tuesday, May 23rd 2006, 10:39 am

By: News On 6

A positive economy means more jobs for college students.

Experts say employers plan to hire 15 percent more college graduates this year than last and some jobs are growing faster than others.

News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson looks at this year's hottest jobs for grads.

Two of the biggest fields looking for more college-educated employees are finance and engineering. Field, project, and construction engineers are all on the list of the top ten fastest growing careers. The National Association of Colleges and Employers says the nationwide average for a starting salary in those jobs is close to $50,000.

Positions for financial analysts, accountants and sales people are also growing. Nationwide, starting salaries range from the upper 30's to mid 40's.

Experts say the workforce is also looking for college grads to fill jobs as business consultants, managers-in-training, and as teachers.

Career counselors at Tulsa area universities say they're seeing record years as well. TU's Mike Mills says the number of businesses recruiting on-campus is up 63-percent from last year's high. "This is an A-plus year. There are jobs out there; it's a matter of a student marketing themselves into the right job. And if they have the education to back that up, they're probably going to find a great opportunity."

Mills says the job market is bouncing back to where it was six or seven years ago. He says graduates have been telling him they're getting excellent salary offers, and often even signing bonuses.