Job-seeking seniors, breathe a little easier.
Firms are looking to hire more bachelor's-degree graduates for jobs beginning next year.
According to Recruiting Trends 2007-2008, a report released by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, employers are expected to increase the number of jobs by seven percent.
Large companies - defined as those with over 3,900 employees - will provide the bulk of the hiring as they strive to replace the large number of retiring employees, CERI Director Phil Gardner said.
These employers expect to increase bachelor's degree hiring by nine percent.
The annually published report surveyed 994 employers from a broad range of industries to analyze their hiring activities.
However, Gardner said the benefits will probably not be shared equally among all students: Seniors studying business or engineering will take up the majority of offers made during on-campus recruiting.
In particular, those majoring in computer science will be in big demand.
This fall, Penn has enjoyed a strong semester in terms of on-campus recruiting with around 8,000 on-campus interviews scheduled this semester alone, director of Career Services Patricia Rose said.
"This [report] corroborates what we've been seeing this year," Rose said.
Students have done well in industries such as consulting, investment banking, retail and there has been strong technical recruiting.
But job search is not necessarily easier this year compared to previous years, Rose said. In fact, it's more of an "another good year" status, Rose said.
And while the report is assuring to an extent, many seniors say the reality is that the job search is still an arduous process.
Wharton senior Justin Anderson said he feels that industries such as financial services have been affected by the state of the economy.
"Recruiting is a little tighter this year," Anderson said.
It's also the pressure from oneself to get the best job possible that adds to the stress, he said.
Last year, Penn's on-campus recruitment program enjoyed a strong year, with 66 percent of graduating seniors receiving a job offer by the end of their fall semester.
"We anticipate a similar pattern this year," Rose said, because many seniors have offers already. "Our students have been very active."
