Employers say they will hire more college graduates and pay them higher salaries in 2006 than last year.
According the Job Outlook Report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, public accounting and consulting services firms will hire the most graduates.
Financial services companies, construction firms, building materials companies and engineering firms also will have positions for college graduates to fill.
At the bachelor’s degree level, mechanical engineering degrees will be in highest demand, followed by degrees in electrical engineering, accounting, business administration, finance and computer science.
The employers most interested in engineers, which include utilities companies, electrical and electronic machinery and equipment manufacturing companies and automotive and machanical equipment manufacturing companies, expect more competition this year for the brightest graduates.
An MBA will be the most valuable degree for graduates entering the work force, as was the case last year.
In a national survey conducted by the NACE, more than half of the respondents who plan to hire graduates with master’s degrees will seek those with MBAs.
There is also demand for graduates with master’s degrees in accounting and electrical, mechanical and computer engineering.
Graduates with doctorates and associate degrees will be in high demand as well. The most sought-after doctorate degrees will be in engineering, science and computer-related fields.
Forty percent of government and nonprofit organizations plan to hire graduates with associate degrees this year, especially degrees in business, technology and engineering fields.
Service sector employers are not far behind with slightly more than one-third of them looking for associate degree holders, who employers say need less training because they usually have more hands-on experience than other graduates.
The positive job outlook is a result of the rebounding economy, the aging workforce and a growing demand in employers’ services and products.
Benefits and signing bonuses are part of starting salaries, and different employers offer different types and combinations of them.
According to the NACE 2005 Graduating Student and Alumni Survey, medical and life insurance is of the most importance to students.
As fewer employers offer pension plans, an important benefit is the 401k, a way of saving for retirement.
Beyond life insurance, medical insurance and 401k plans, the top benefits employers will be offering 2006 graduates are dental insurance, annual salary increases, employee assistance programs, tuition reimbursement, casual dress policies and planned social activities.
Only some of the graduates hired will be offered signing bonuses, and less than half of employers say they will offer them at all.
Graduates going into accounting, computer science or electrical engineering are more likely to get a signing bonus than those going into other fields.
More employers will conduct drug-screening tests this year. Nearly 70 percent plan to test the graduates they hire for full-time entry-level positions, a jump from 59 percent last year.
JobWeb is a Web site that provides career development and job-search advice for new college graduates. For more information on career-related subjects, visit JobWeb.com.
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