For the first time in two years, employers' outlook on the job market for college graduates has improved, according to a study released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
The association's Job Outlook 2004 survey found that nearly 54 percent of employers hold a "good, very good or excellent" outlook on the job market for new college graduates within their own industry.
Undergraduate majors in heaviest demand include computer science, mechanical and electrical engineering, accounting, and business administration, said association Research Director Camille Luckenbaugh.
Statistics on post-graduation jobs offered to University fourth years currently are unavailable and will not be compiled until the end of the fall semester, according to Ladd Flock, Director of Career Services for the College.
University Career Services officials, however, say they have seen an increase in job listings for students on the HoosTrak online system. Positions listed have gone from around 150 to between 165 and 200 per week, Flock said.
Additionally, the number of on-Grounds job interviews has not changed significantly. Most companies recruiting students at the University are based in Washington or Richmond and typically ask students to interview on-site, Flock said.
The class of 2004 also has been more knowledgeable about the job search process and more aggressive in seeking post-graduation jobs, according to Flock. More than half of the class of 2004 currently is registered with the HoosTrak online system managed by the University's Career Services office.
"The current graduating class really has a step up from previous graduating classes," Flock said.
Many companies, while still cautious, have become more confident and more willing to hire new college graduates, according to association officials.
"What we are seeing are small but positive signs pointing to a better -- not great -- job market for the class of 2004," said association Executive Director Marilyn Mackes in a press statement.
The study also found that while companies plan to hire more college graduates, 51 percent do not expect to increase starting salaries, and those that do will only be raising initial salaries by an average of 3.4 percent.
Additionally, hiring of new college graduates was projected by the study to increase more rapidly in the Midwest, New England, and the West, compared to the South, including Virginia.
Flock pointed out that while the study shows that companies are more likely to consider hiring new college graduates, the unemployment rate for new workers straight out of college has remained relatively constant for some time.
"University of Virginia students are very employable," Flock said. "With all the career services at their disposal, it just comes down to how bad the students want to get jobs."
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